GREYE combine a unique blend of Pop and Rock with loads of Soul and what I would describe as a holy Blues sound throughout their songs, and it can be found in the vocals and/or the music at any given time together or apart to the credit of each band member. “What If I” is a single with maximum appeal for the Pop and Adult Contemporary lovers but GREYE actually-cross every musical barrier once you get into their top 40 aimed but authentic sound. Hannah Summer is a fine vocalist with immense chops, and that is but only one way to nail it.
With indie Pop and Rock being the outer core audience of GREYE, they continue to pick of fans of country and other forms because it’s all in there no matter where the next release takes them. The Pop sensibilities of “What If I” are probably what hold its strongest hook, but it takes nothing away from the seriousness of the message she is singing if you listen very closely to it. The rhymes aren’t just abstract words that go together with the semblance of the music, it’s too positive to dismiss the importance of in the song.
YOU TUBE: www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dS57Fanw6Y
The sound mix is very bright and that is down to Brian Reeves and the band itself at the helm in FAME studio where they talked about how the process wasn’t easy at first when they recorded it in Muscle Schoals, Alabama. But that is where the authenticity was captured very well to compliment GREYE’s brilliant songwriting and put out another chapter in their book, so to speak. “What If I” lays it on the line about the usual social-political topics in their own way without forcing negative nomenclature’s down the ears of society. It takes a special formula to pull this off and GREYE clearly have it.
The video can be hit and miss, but don’t miss it because it’s getting viewed by the masses and it’s not too shabby a number-of views so far. If that’s not impressive then following the music will do the business as usual. The internet is one thing, but radio attention is where this song, album and band are currently focused and that involves even more impressive numbers. This way of looking at it is not everything, but it does catch your eye when the music starts to catch your ears and other fans and reviewers might not notice it either.
DEEZER: www.deezer.com/us/track/659238982?autoplay=true
One thing worth noticing more than anything else is the honesty of their craft and how it’s taking the long road and going the distance and letting the music do the talking. Hannah Summer has a way of shining without hogging the spotlight and letting the band show its equal presence in the greater scheme of things. This is not always the case with such bands, but strong convictions prevail with each release GREYE puts into the coffers. This is a seasoned live act that can play the phonebook, so their releases reflect the vernacular from one end to the other and “What If I” is the freshest paint on the GREYE palette.
Clay Burton