Welcome all to ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly - an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of ๐๐๐ฌ ๐ผ๐ง๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ ๐๐ฅ๐ค๐ฉ๐ก๐๐๐๐ฉ playlists.
๐ผ๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ - ๐ผ๐ก๐๐จ๐จ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐จ๐
Charles attempts to please the majorityโฆ
"You can't please everyone". How many times have we heard this? It has been said by all walks of life - a parent, teacher, close friend, accountant, lawyer, and just about anyone else who feels the need to provide some sort of unhelpful input. It seems that when you are in a predicament, the simple and seemingly innocent response is, "You can't please everyone". It is something automatic that people say. And I suppose in a way itโs utterly true. Factually correct. But still, it does not help in the slightest, and is not so much advice as the feeling of having advised. The feeling that they care about you, as their hand rests on your shoulder, before being carted off to the electric chair. What it really means is, itโs out of your hands and thereโs nothing you can do. Youโre completely and utterly screwed, whichever way you look at it. Wonderful. Just wonderful. You choose one option and someone isnโt happy. You do the other thing, and someone else isnโt happy. Youโre damned if you do etcโฆ. So, where does that leave us? You could hide under the duvet until it all goes away? Seems pretty planny, but it doesnโt, does it. Just go awayโฆ It sits there, festering. Twiddling its thumbs and tapping its foot, knowing that you will eventually need to come up for air. And there it will be, just as you left it, staring at you with eager eyes. So maybe you make a stand and become selfish? Please neither side and choose yourself instead? Whatโs best for YOU? To be all that YOU want to be. But that wonโt work either.
We see this in politics ad nauseam. One side against the other, with the population in the middle - having no say (which is a good thing - who wants THAT job??). But itโs the population that matters. Itโs the population that is affected. Do we go far right and anger the left? Do we go far left and irritate the right? Impossible to say, of course. But howโs about this for an ideaโฆ Somewhere in the middle? Where no one is particularly enthused with the way of things, but very few are infuriated. Deep resentment and fury are surely what is to be avoided. It may be a dull solution, but still, itโs an idea. The other plausibility is to weigh up how many would be appalled and disgruntled either way, then pick the least offensive option. Boring!! Whereโs the fun in THAT??
What this all proves is, it isnโt easy. And that I cannot imagine anything worse than having that volume of power. These reviews are just about as much power as I can handle. And even that is on the limit. Does everyone like my reviews? Nope. Do I please everyone? Nope. CAN I, even? You guessed it: nope. But do I TRY to? Nope. I mean, yes. Yes, I do. I think THIS is all we can do. We can TRY to please as many as possible, knowing full well that we will never achieve a 100% success rate. Perfection will never occur. And even if hypothetically I were to achieve total perfection, there would still be some little bugger who refuses to like it. Because thereโs always one. One of the biggest problems I have in life is trying to please everyone, and ending up hurting or annoying them all - or at least feeling that way. I should have listened to the nauseating, predictable, uninspired repeaters: โYou canโt please everyoneโ. There should be an extra bit tacked on the end: โโฆbut if you try, you may end up pleasing no oneโ. Or maybe that does exist. I donโt know. I donโt listen to anyone anymore.
Maybe I should have listened to someone else. Someone who is taken to attempting the impossible. Someone who seemingly manages to please just everyone. Well, at least everyone she has attempted to please. And thatโs good enough for me. I am talking about New Artist Spotlight newcomer, Alessia Raisi. She has been with us for less than a month, and not only is she a brilliant artist, but she is supportive of other artists and grateful for the love and appreciation she receives. All the more reason to feature her here! This week brings my third review in a row of songs released on September 9th. What a day of music it was! But Alessia released not one, but four songs on that very day of days. Well, correction, one song, four times. Seems like a good dollop of egotism, no? Well, nope! Maybe an errorโฆ? Nope. You see, Alessia is originally Italian. But has also realised that Italian lyrics will not go down well in the rest of the world. So English lyrics, then? What, and risk alienating your own beloved countryโฆ? Maybe try English lyrics with an Italian accent? No no no, thatโs just what I meant about trying to please everyone but ending up pleasing no one. Alessia Raisi has put together an EP called โROCK !โ, and it contains one song in four languages. Okay, but why choose English, Spanish, Italian and Chinese? Well, because her live performances are most popular in Argentina, Italy and China! Yup, she travels the world! But what about English? Well, ya know. You gotta have English. She has even released a French EP in the past! The brand new song is called โAll that I wanna beโ. Or, Todo Lo Que Quiero (All that I want), Tutto Quello Che Voglio (All I want), ๆๆณ่ฆ็ไธๅ - Wว xiวng yร o de yฤซqiรจ (Everything I want). Is the translation exact? Nope. Does it matter? Nope. Because the point is clear, and the song is fabulous. And weirdly, after English my favourite is actually Chinese! Something about that bendy way of singing the chorus - sounds marvellous!
And on to the music. โAll that I wanna beโ assimilates the best of the 80s and the best of the 90s to achieve a classic sound. The main influence to me is Alanis Morissette, but without that irritating thing Alanis does with her voice. You know what I mean - you love it or you hate it. Itโs like a song from 1995, mixed and produced by a man who achieved fame from his work in 1982. Itโs LIKE that. Iโm not saying it IS that. I have recently realised that the best producer/engineers seemed to be in the 80s. Anyway! The most satisfying drum fill starts off the piece - I have air-drummed to it many times. Alessia is on the mic before the guitars have barely had a chance to be donned. There is already strength in her voice, but there is a suggestion that she has much more power in reserve, for later. Usually it would be guitars carrying the lead voice for a rock song of this style, but here rather unusually it is the bass that rolls those shiny new strings with assertive yet controlled assurance, lending space for the guitars to come. As we reach the chorus, Alessia and her band do not disappoint. I mentioned that reserved powerโฆ Well here it is! Alessia digs in and belts those lyrics with such passion and determination. Aside from Alanis, I also hear bits of Spice Girl, Mel C (in her early solo rock phase). It is at this moment that I realise the striking yet coincidental resemblance to the sound of NAS artist, Panem. Only in sound and feel, not in song. Which, considering Panem has always been one of my favourite bands on the NAS, is not a bad thing. But as is usually the case, despite these familiarities in sound, Alessia Raisi manages originality, and ultimately it is the sound of her. I can only imagine that Alessia is astounding live, in a huge arena setting. As opposed to a small arenaโฆ
Alessia has attempted to please the nations of four languages. And in doing so, has succeeded! So while itโs still true that you canโt please EVERYone, she proves that you can please who you set out to please.
Come on, come on! Please please me (woah yeah) like I please you.
Listen to ๐ผ๐ก๐ก ๐ฉ๐๐๐ฉ ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฃ๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ on the ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ป๐ผ๐น๐น๐โ๐ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฟ Spotify playlist HERE!
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Listen to the ๐๐๐พ๐ ! EP on Spotify HERE!
Listen to the ๐๐๐พ๐ ! EP on Apple Music HERE!
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