Single Review – Ad-Rian – ‘Changing – 04/06/2012 – Creative lounge

Review by Emma Jones

‘Changing’ is the second release from Ad-rian’s 5th album, conveniently entitled ‘5’. Born in Switzerland in 1969 Adrian Sturzenegger has been heavily involved in music his whole life. As well as being a musician he owns his own studio and also writes soundtracks.  This clearly multi-talented singer, who lists Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley amongst his influences, states he  combines the approach of soul music with a pop composition in this track. 

3 minutes and 59 seconds is not a long time to convincingly place two very different musical styles together and blend them into an aurally convincing, viable and most importantly for some, commercially successful release.  However, the track is somewhat of a success for several reasons.

Firstly the decision to duet with Andy Abraham of ‘X Factor’ fame is well made.  His vocals are the perfect blend of soul with the depth and timbre that can only be achieved with great talent.           Ad-rian’s sound is pitched higher, but does not feel out of place next to Andy’s penetrating soul Somewhat surprisingly, these two very different vocals blend together in perfect harmony. 

Secondly the production utilises much of what can be considered typical 80’s electro- synth with strings and keys in the forefront as opposed to guitar.  The guitar is used to create some interesting musical motifs, and this is what lifts the song back into the contemporary pop sound.   All of this musical production manages to give the song an eerie familiarity for the pop fan, but with the clever nuances of sound production a more cynical listener craves.

Finally the context of the lyrics is simplistic yet beautiful.  The combination of the two vocals, one with its soulful depth, the other with its lyrical interpretation, and the idea the lyrics present is purely lovely to listen to.  The cleverness lies in its simplicity.

‘Changing’ is a true pop tune.  The decision to utilise the vocal talents of Andy Abraham and the clever music production side, which one assumes is to be credited to Ad-rian himself, is what makes this track stand out in what would is otherwise a dreary pop scene.  The combination succeeds in creating ‘open minded music in a sometimes very narrow minded world’.  

http://www.ad-rian.com/Welcome.html

Review by Emma Jones

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