It doesn’t take long to fall for the hook and beats in the new track “Trouble” from Ashley Suppa. Nor does the apple fall far from the tree. Suppa, 18, is the daughter of guitarist Mike Suppa (Ace Frehley (KISS), 5REVOLT, SuppaStarr) and pads her resume with a brilliant pop track. Based in New York and working with Grammy-nominated Alex Salzman (Salzman also works with Frehley), Ashley Suppa’s debut effort is a mix of raucous guitar riffs and vital rhythms. She’s grown up with music all around her and she’s sponged up the best-of-the-best sounds in “Trouble”.
While her dad might have given her a lesson in the classic rock genre, Suppa’s sound in “Trouble” is vivacious and poppy. There is definitely an element of melodic rock running through the song’s center. It has that gripping pickup, collecting a decade’s worth of grit and road life in seconds between the guitar pic hitting the strings. I’m not sure I would have noticed that as much without making that connection with her father’s career, but after learning more about her father, it ‘clicked’ for me. Ashley Suppa elevates that pop rock sound and turns the corner more into dance with the rhythmic electronic blends. I suppose in some way that might appeal to fans of MGMT or The Killers, but after a few listens, I think she situated herself in the genre rather nicely. Although, I must say she’s quite genre defying.
Trouble
Listen to Trouble on Spotify. Ashley Suppa · Single · 2021 · 1 songs.
Ashley Suppa sings of the angst she’s having within her conscience or even a conversation she’s playing-out-loud to have with her boyfriend. It’s like she’s practicing what she’s going to say to him – that she doesn’t feel adequate (my words, not hers) and that she doesn’t want to cause him trouble. The word trouble to me has many connotations. In this song, I believe, she’s feeling down on herself and trying to snap out of it. She’s giving herself a pep talk and working through the feelings. She has a lightness to her – both a delicate tenor and a beam to her voice. This might sound weird, but when I listened to “Trouble” I also sensed the New York City soul. It harnesses the magic of the skyscrapers, the millions of lights, flashing neon and stop-and-go cabs. I’m not saying the song is noisy, but she bottles up that lively almost unattainable energy into this fun little song. If that’s not talent, I don’t know what is.
I have a huge appreciation for Ashley Suppa. It can’t be easy to follow-in the footsteps of a musician and artist. The good news is that Ashley Suppa can stand confidently in her own lane. She’s her own person and she more than proves it in “Trouble”. This is a great song and I’m quite happy with how it made me feel like the day was going to be a great one. We all have our moments when we have to think things through again, and songs like “Trouble” help us gather our feelings and work ‘em out through song.
Clay Burton