Sentimental elements of a track can start in many places. Lyrics, a beat, even a harmony. Sometimes all three. But rarely can we find that elusive triple threat in pop anymore. No matter how we’re to break apart and examine the lyricism and the way it’s been put into use in “Love One Another,” there’s an undeniable sense of emotion everywhere we look and listen in this new song from one Ranzel X Kendrick (Alias Wayne, to you and me). In his vibrant new single out this winter season, singer/songwriter Alias Wayne offers an exploration of the themes and aesthetical narrative in this composition unlike any I’ve experienced in the past, and while I’ve always been a little biased towards endorsing this kind of a crossover track, this is one case where I find myself making a major exception on the strength of the material alone.
The striking melodic underpinning in this arrangement is one of the first elements that grabbed me here, especially with regards to the vocal harmonies constructed between Alias Wayne, whose smooth crooning adds a layer to this performance that wouldn’t have been here otherwise. There’s a lot of potency to the foundation provided by the instrumentation in this single, but it’s impossible to debate which of all the elements in the mix was meant to convey the heaviest passion in the song. It starts and ends with lyrical prowess here, and this player has quite a bit of
This mastering is sharp but not overdone, which has been something I’ve been encountering more and more of when looking at indie singer/songwriters over the last year. There’s nothing particularly overthought nor structured with a sense of indulgence in mind here, and in comparison to what some of the other popular folk crossover artists have been toying with, I think it’s really obvious that Alias Wayne is someone who wants to stick with an organic sound even after he’s acquired an audience he can call his own and mean it.
“Love One Another” benefits tremendously from the balance of the string play here, centering, of course, on the tremendous presence of the melody we start the track off with. There’s plenty of pleasant glowing to the harmonies between the other instruments, but I found the guitar, despite its rather muted presence in a few spots, to be the most commanding element of anything on the non-vocal half of this single, which is saying quite a bit when taking into account how much even the bass parts in the background have to contribute to the bigger picture in this track.
I’ve been hearing some good things about Alias Wayne from others who keep up with his scene in recent times, but I was not expecting to be as impressed by this all-new studio single as I am at the moment this February. To me, “Love One Another” is a nice introduction, but it’s meant to advertise possibilities more than anything else. Time will help this singer/songwriter grow into his sound a little more completely, but anyone who would have the nerve to suggest that he’s not ready and able to compete with some of the most intriguing voices in or outside of his scene right now hasn’t heard his new single.
Clay Burton