Coming as it does with Kaity Rae on co writing and production duties and with Matt Greaves mixing, Lisa Wright's new single "The Idea Of You" was always destined to dazzle and delight, however if you were expecting "Tennessee" 2 then you might be in line for a little surprise.
Anyone who has heard Katie's production work with the likes of Vic Allen will know of her ability to add additional sounds in an unobtrusive way and it is this that certainly makes this single sound different to anything Lisa has released before. In essence there is none of the usual framework you might expect from a Lisa Wright song, no strident guitar or keyboard line this is more layered, the most prominent sounds are the percussion and Lisa firing off lines like bullets and every one lands
The lyric writing is razor sharp, honed to perfection with not so much a syllable wasted as it delicately treads a tightrope through killer one liners while at the same time under the upbeat tune there is also some sadness being addressed between the "happiness" being found and the cost it is coming at.
From the very start there are clearly misgivings between the ideal and actual and about them not matching up and the consequences of this.
"In my mind we are a masterpiece Johnny and June
But I know that in reality it's just me and you
and that should be enough but it's not
cos it don't correlate with my notions of love
It sounds mean but this can't be"
The title of the song very much sums up what Lisa likes in this relationship and if there were any doubts as to the long term expectations of it, then the chorus lays it on the line.
"I like going out and holding your hand
Showing off when we slow dance
Got a plus one for weddings in the summer but i don't want to meet your mother!
and I like calling you baby but I don't want one for ages
I know the truth, you know it too"
That last line is perhaps a little contentious as Lisa then goes on to slightly contradict the "you know it too" element with the opening lines to the next verse, and the only leads to inner conflict
"In your mind you think I'm everything that you really needed
and I feel a little guilty cos I let you believe it
I don't find it hard to play the part
But it's cruel to pretend when it comes to the heart
yeah it sounds mean to come clean"
That inner conflict gets revisited in the final visit to the chorus, which initially is Lisa singing over a very sparse backing and sees key changes to a couple of lines
"I love the thought of forever, but I know you deserve much better
I love calling you baby, but we're both in different places
Yeah that's the truth, you know it too"
There is so much subtlety in the performance and production, just listen to the joy of Lisa as she recalls the positives counterbalanced by the sadness in the line about coming clean. The subtlety continues into the musical production for while there maybe no tune defining guitar lines, the little guitar and piano flourishes that go to make the overall sound are so delicately done, as is the work with the backing vocals throughout.
So something a little different from Lisa Wright but the same wonderful consistency in quality.
The Idea Of You - OUT NOW!!!