Jeremy Rice – Arriianne
In a captivating croon, singer Jeremy Rice gives us the opening stanza of his new single “Arriianne;”
I could stay awake all night to hear what’s on your mind / But you don’t really want to talk to me / And if you did you’d tell me of the emptiness inside / But that is not the way it has to be
and though his words are full of an energetic vitality that is tough to come by in modern pop music, they aren’t the main point of our focus in this track. Rice is back with his most muscular melodies thus far, and guitar buffs in particular are going to dig what his new single is really all about.
The video for “Arriianne” feels just a little forced and unimaginative compared to the music itself. The harmonies, and moreover, the crunch of the riffing that dominates the frontend of the mix are the real star of this show, and I suppose that by staying away from a really thrilling music video, Rice was able to keep our attention where it really belongs– on the carnal relationship between his poetry and the pummeling fretwork here.
Percussion is key to framing any decent rock or pop single, and this track has definitely got some excellent drum play. While the guitars are giving us a little funkiness up top, the beat is pushing the rhythm of the riffs to the very edge, subsequently creating a lot of extra excitement as Rice leads us into the chorus for the heavy hook waiting on the other side.
“Arriianne” is one of the more layered songs that I’ve listened to this month, but it’s also one of the more efficient (mostly because of the highly detailed work that Jeremy Rice clearly put into it).
I think that Rice could have pushed his vocal a bit more than he did in this track, but what he delivers in his performance is still attractive just the same. He’s capable of a lot, as he’s proven through previous projects in the Canadian underground, and I would really like to hear him give us just as much of himself in this latest vehicle that he’s developing.
Rice is a really strong singer with a tendency to adapt his style to whatever a particular composition happens to call for, and if he sticks to what he does best, he’s going to find a lot more success in this juncture of his career than he ever did in the past.
“Arriianne” is nowhere near perfect, but the right pieces are certainly here and actively engaging for listeners who live for fun, easily accessible pop/rock. I’m very interested in hearing his forthcoming solo debut Legendary Fist of Takinawa, and if it’s full of more material in the style of this track, I’m sure that I will have similar feelings about the LP as I do the single.
Jeremy Rice proves to be an intriguing character in this song for sure, and he’s an artist that I plan to continue following into the next decade.
If you enjoyed Arriianne, check out the official website for Jeremy Rice by clicking here. Give him a like on Facebook by clicking here & a follow on Twitter by clicking here.
