For what at first comes through as simply a modern, mainstream hip-hop influenced piece of music, ‘Right Now’ soon shows itself to be something with a little more depth and emotion than might first be expected. The vocal effect immediately draws up artist or track comparisons in the mind, but it’s a fleeting moment in this case. The mellow ambience of the musical backdrop is actually really refreshing to listen to. This meeting of the retro synth riffs and the tripped up beat makes for a peaceful and reflective arena within which the artist’s lyrics and vocal performance really step up to the spotlight.
The leading voice featured throughout the track has a calm and confident presentation that suits the mood of the music brilliantly. The whole performance comes through as very genuine, authentic – it’s mellow, but it’s not lazy, there’s a passion to it, and the subject matter further underlines this. There’s also a really enjoyable level of melody to the track, and this stands up in a fairly subtle way, which gives it a smooth sort of strength. At just over the first minute mark the energy of the beat drops in and the whole track takes on a new vibe. The music has an uplifting, inspiring ambience at this point – there’s a real feeling of now to the aptly titled track, a feeling of ceasing the moment, riding the wave, taking the opportunity.
The leading voice has a strong sense of character and a really easy to listen to tone. This, combined with flawless production and the overall final energy or mood of the whole track, makes for something that is more than likely to leave audiences seeking out more music from Johnny Drama. Fortunately, there are a fair few releases online to catch up with.
By Rebecca Cullen
Rebecca is a Musician and writer from Manchester, UK, with an MA in Song Writing
