Ashley J – Satisfied
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/ashleyj_music/
The kinetic energy and passion generated by Ashley
J’s latest single “Satisfied” seems powerful enough to light up a city block or
more. It’s the latest in a string of strong singles that have seen her venture
forth from her Orlando, Florida upbringing, experience a brief foray in
Nashville, and now finds her in California working with some of the best high
profile behind the scenes talents in the music world today. Those creative
partnerships have transformed Ashley J from a work in progress into an increasingly
realized artist who has the rare skill for entertaining and illuminating her
listeners alike in a full on pop music vein. “Satisfied” definitely contains
strong components of EDM, but Ashley J is far more than just some pretty face
and body tacked on as window dressing for a shallow musical vehicle. Instead,
she’s the beating heart of this song and consumes it whole like true artists
always do.
“Satisfied” has an impressive groove that most
songs, surprisingly considering the track’s EDM origins, memorably lack.
There’s a lot of bells and whistles added to dance/electronically oriented
tracks today that rob them of their potential for connecting with listeners and
this decision is fortunately one Ashley J avoids. Her focus is, instead, on
presenting a well rounded package of her voice and the arrangement. They work
superbly together. The synthesizer dominated backing has a streamlined quality
that keeps its layered effects from ever becoming too cluttered and
overwhelming the listener while the rhythm section has great warmth and a fat
sound. It gives her singing the compelling platform it deserves so it can make
maximum impact on listeners.
The impact is real. Her voice absolutely rivets
your attention from first line to last and shows more emotional variety than
three singers of her ilk can typically muster combined. She’s truly a
prodigious singing talent likely capable of tackling any sort of song, but she
has truly found her fit in this mold because it doesn’t restrict her in anyway
and she possesses the talent to change its formulas as she sees fit. The
lyrical content gives her more to work with here than most of her
contemporaries enjoy and she makes the most of it. There’s some particularly
excellent transitions in her range and the way she attacks the chorus shows
great aggressiveness, but just the right amount of restraint as well. It’s an
all around wining performance that makes this single fly and it leaves her
excellent earlier work in the dust. We’re witnessing the maturation of a great
singer with this release and there’s little question that Ashley J deserves to
write her own ticket from this moment forward. “Satisfied” will likely linger
in your mind long after the first few hearings and merits repeated listening.
You’ll be hooked for the more that’s sure to come soon.
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/ashleyj_music
Pamela Bellmore
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