As Halle Kearns releases the second single that will form part of her second EP, there are already signs that this is no here today gone tomorrow artist, she's in for the long haul and already tackling issues of a quite complex nature.
Despite the somewhat cheery title, "Happy In This Bar" finds Halle anything but happy, the cover photo more accurately depicting her mood. What has put her in this mood is not sadness after a break up however more of a cold hard psychological look at herself and how she is perceived by others and not necessarily liking the results.
This may sound very heavy for a Country single so let's calm any ones fears, Halle is never going to deviate to far from a catchy hook and a great melody - those are all but guaranteed.
The song deals with the pressure of living up to other peoples expectations of her and opens with her
"Gave in at a quarter till ten, tore the tags off a brand new dress" and finds herself heading off to be a party girl whereas as she confesses but a line or so later
"I'd be in bed if it was up to me"
However once arrived at the bar she then falls into being the character she find herself so unhappy with
"Happy in this bar, just another night, making everybody think that I'm all right
Lead another toast, fake another smile, be the life of the party for a little while"
A neat little lyrical twist in the last line though changes the whole tone of the title of the song
"As long as they don't know that i'm so far, from happy in this bar"
The contrasts continue throughout the second verse
"Crazy how in a downtown crowd I can still feel so alone"
Halle rightly persists with her relatively minimalist sound which is clutter free of additional instruments or sounds yet still manages to feel like a big production while allowing a gentle acoustic guitar to filter through. Her vocals perfectly convey all of the emotions expressed in the lyrics in a quite believable realistic manner and it is this that marks her out as a bright star for the future.
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