Sahara Beck's latest EP, You Could Be Happy, is set to be released on October 31, and I couldn't be more excited for her fans to hear what she has come up with.The young artist, hailing from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, showed her advanced talent for song-writing by releasing her first full-length album at the age of only fifteen in October 2011 and, by 2012, had won a Queensland Music Award. Beck has performed at multiple music festivals (BIGSOUND, Caloundra Music Festival, Golden Days, Noosa Long Weekend, the SolBar, The J, Peregian Originals, Joe's Waterhole, Brisbane Powerhouse, Judith Wright Centre) and her music has received international radio play.
The great thing about Sahara Beck is that I had no clue she was seventeen until I read her bio. Most young artists have under-developed vocals (you can still hear the 'child' in their voice when they go to hit some notes), the lyrics read like something I could have jotted down with ease, and their compositions either aren't full enough and hang awkwardly in the background or there's too much going on and it drowns out the vocals, but Beck shows no signs of these shortfalls. With balanced compositions, gorgeously full vocals, and lyrics which read mature beyond her years, this EP promises that Beck is a force to be reckoned with in the music world.
"C'mon Man You're Dead" has an instantly addictive upbeat tempo and an opening line that grabs you and pulls you into the song before those first 20 seconds are up. A chorus which states "they don't know who you are, though they ran very far, to get away from you, we thought we knew who we were, then we got our fingers burned just to keep up with you" and the emotion in her voice when singing "what's wrong with me, look around and wonder why, people spread these dirty lies" show a young artist wise beyond her years.
"Mary Jane" may be my favorite song on this album and, while it may reflect poorly upon me that I can't get enough of a song that discusses alcoholism and marijuana ("he wakes up in the morning, and he pours a glass of wine, and I'll tell him it's too early, and he'll say 'aw, babe, it's fine"/"I never need to question when his eyes are cherry red, and I always call her Mrs. Jane, 'cause you know that it sounds nice"), it's too great to ignore. The lyrics are amazing, but the composition makes the song perfect, because the only thing better than the haunting repetition of "now I'm all alone come find me, now I'm all alone come find me" is that back-beat.
"Bang, Bang, Bang" places the emphasis on Beck's vocals and writing skills with only an acoustic melody to carry her through a soft, yet catchy, chorus. The refreshing maturity that flows through Beck's music is clear in an articulate verse which states "I would rather walk than run, 'cause if you chased me, nothing could grab my foot and pull my body down to the ground, you don't have to fight us, but if you don't, we all know that you're going to have to change your wicked ways eventually" and features Beck's penchant for story-telling mixed with introspective metaphors.
"Madman" features a solid instrumentation with an alt-rock feel backing those indie folk lyrics, giving it a different feel from the rest of her songs, and it's only made better by that bridge that can't stop from overflowing with emotion; Beck's music is honest, and her willingness to share everything through her lyrics makes songs like this amazing.
"Daisy" relies only on a soft pattern picking style and Beck's full vocals to carry out mature lines "call me happy, call me down, tell me love will come around, this is how I'll disappear, without hate, without fear", "this is your life, this is mine, going backwards all the time" and, by the time the tempo picks up for "death is peaceful, not so sad, I wouldn't bother getting mad, won't make a difference either way" I'm awestruck by the fact that she has written this at only seventeen years of age. Even if you factor out her age, focusing only on her writing ability versus that of other popular artists, these lyrics are markedly more eloquent than any other popular artist has been able to put out as of recent.
"You Could Be Happy" features an up-tempo rhythm and a playful melody, and Beck's story-telling skills are in full swing with a verse which states "I said don't be so ashamed, don't let them push you into the shade, you replied 'well, it's all the same, have I ever told you 'bout the flame that never died? Spark arose within the darkest of nights...kept burning and burning till the sun did arise'" and I can't stop playing it on repeat.
Of all the EP's released, or set to be released, this year, this one promises the best up-and-coming artist that you need to keep your eye on; the music's gorgeous, the vocals are flawless, and I'm blown way by the maturity displayed in this young artist's work. Start falling for her music now because you're going to want to get You Could Be Happy as soon as it drops on the 31st (or pre-order it now).
https://www.facebook.com/saharabeckmusic
https://twitter.com/SaharaBeck
- E
"Bang, Bang, Bang" places the emphasis on Beck's vocals and writing skills with only an acoustic melody to carry her through a soft, yet catchy, chorus. The refreshing maturity that flows through Beck's music is clear in an articulate verse which states "I would rather walk than run, 'cause if you chased me, nothing could grab my foot and pull my body down to the ground, you don't have to fight us, but if you don't, we all know that you're going to have to change your wicked ways eventually" and features Beck's penchant for story-telling mixed with introspective metaphors.
"Madman" features a solid instrumentation with an alt-rock feel backing those indie folk lyrics, giving it a different feel from the rest of her songs, and it's only made better by that bridge that can't stop from overflowing with emotion; Beck's music is honest, and her willingness to share everything through her lyrics makes songs like this amazing.
"Daisy" relies only on a soft pattern picking style and Beck's full vocals to carry out mature lines "call me happy, call me down, tell me love will come around, this is how I'll disappear, without hate, without fear", "this is your life, this is mine, going backwards all the time" and, by the time the tempo picks up for "death is peaceful, not so sad, I wouldn't bother getting mad, won't make a difference either way" I'm awestruck by the fact that she has written this at only seventeen years of age. Even if you factor out her age, focusing only on her writing ability versus that of other popular artists, these lyrics are markedly more eloquent than any other popular artist has been able to put out as of recent.
"You Could Be Happy" features an up-tempo rhythm and a playful melody, and Beck's story-telling skills are in full swing with a verse which states "I said don't be so ashamed, don't let them push you into the shade, you replied 'well, it's all the same, have I ever told you 'bout the flame that never died? Spark arose within the darkest of nights...kept burning and burning till the sun did arise'" and I can't stop playing it on repeat.
Of all the EP's released, or set to be released, this year, this one promises the best up-and-coming artist that you need to keep your eye on; the music's gorgeous, the vocals are flawless, and I'm blown way by the maturity displayed in this young artist's work. Start falling for her music now because you're going to want to get You Could Be Happy as soon as it drops on the 31st (or pre-order it now).
http://www.saharabeck.com/
https://www.facebook.com/saharabeckmusic
https://twitter.com/SaharaBeck
- E
