If the original version of “State of Mind” ran on a soul-soaked strut and gentle boogey-some rhythms, 2026 sees it reemerge as a more ambient and, at times, almost a cappella slice of seduction.
This time out beats are minimal, pushed to the back of the song, just in ear shot enough to create the required momentum, but no more than that, the blends of bluesy, big band brass have been reduced to there very essence, and it is the vocals, not just Darryl Scotti’s but the gorgeous 60’s infused harmonies that run behind, beyond, between, and betwixt his lead lines, that dominate the song.
If the original was sassy, this is sensuous. Where it grooved, now it glides. Where once there was drive, now there is merely drift. We are now in a world of late-night jazz bars and old-school crooner vibes. And yet, as a song, it is just as big as the original…maybe not in terms of more obvious metrics such as volume and velocity, but the overall effect seems more prominent, more unmissable. Less is more…who knew? Darryl Scotti for one!
As I always say, songs are never finished, not if those behind them don’t want them to be, and “State of Mind” is a great example of how a song can evolve into something fantastically new and wonderfully different whilst still resonating with everything that made you love it in the first place.
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