Undeniable echoes of the golden age of soul cascade through this new one from Jon Scott: those lush, warm and nostalgic sounds of liquid piano lines, subtle, shimmering guitar riffs and a gentle breeze of brass, an evocative and emotional reminder of the past and a forward-thinking stride into a possible renaissance for the genre.
If the lyrics mark this clearly as a love song, it is a love song in the broadest sense: a celebratory anthem thanking everyone in our lives who helps us through difficult times. In Scott’s case, it goes out to his wife, who helped rehabilitate him after an injury left him bedbound for a long period, but it is a song that we can all relate to, for we have all had to call on such people, the ones who are truly there for us, at some time or other.
And if the song does, in part, look back to an earlier time, it is as much because people don’t seem to write such open and honest and perhaps even vulnerable songs any more as it is the sound of those classic pop-soul vibes, that serene and sensual openness.
‘You Are So Real’ has a lot to offer. Its innocence and heart-on-sleeve honesty sadly seem out of fashion, so perhaps this is a wake-up call for the return of such a scintillating style. It is a sweet coming together of deft sounds and delicate lyrics. But more than anything, it is a tribute to those who stand by us when we need them most. You can feel the thanks and appreciation, not to mention the love in every beatific beat and every wondrous word.
The world needs more of this sort of thing…don’t you think?
