Jonathan Emile – Moses
In his new single and music video “Moses,” Jonathan Emile focuses more on showing off his smart lyrical prowess than he does fulfilling a curious harmony with some surprisingly strong results. “Moses” is a soft, unassumingly emotional ballad that doesn’t demand a lot out of Emile, but this doesn’t stop him from putting so much heart into the lead vocal that his performance is at times too intense to bear all at once. It’s as unique a look as it gets in today’s pop music, but one that I find to be very charming from multiple angles.
The structure of this song is pretty experimental from top to bottom, but the melodicism being employed by Emile has enough of a familiarity to its substance that nothing sounds too left-field for mainstream consumption. I don’t know that he was trying to craft something specifically for radio play with “Moses,” but if he was, he certainly picked a strange way of showing it, as this song has much more of a hard-edged aesthetic than I would normally expect a promo single to possess. On some levels, it’s got the look and feel of a deep cut with the gentle hook of a radio hit.
One thing I might have changed had I been behind the soundboard would have been the EQ on the vocal, which in my opinion is just a little beefier than it needs to be – especially in the chorus. I don’t believe that Jonathan Emile needs any extra kick in the production to give us a heart-melting performance, and honestly, the exaggerated bass tones on his singing in this track was just a bit too much for my taste. It’s not so scarring that it ruins the song as a whole, but it’s a minor alteration I wouldn’t mind hearing in a remix.
Aside from the aforementioned cosmetic flaw, Jonathon Emile’s “Moses” is a true lyrical gem that sports a very interesting video as well, and while it’s not coming from a household name in the industry, it shows us the possibilities of what could come from his moniker in the future just the same.
Emile has an incredible voice that needs to be left untouched in the studio, because if my gut is correct, his organic melodies are probably some of the best around. We’ll find out soon enough after a new pair of records bearing his name in the byline drop this year, but until then, “Moses” is a great greeting to the New Year.
To find out more about Jonathan Emile, check out his official website by clicking here. Give him a like on Facebook by clicking here. Lastly give him a follow on Twitter by clicking here.
