Hey! My ears found another one!
It’s a new release that takes me back to the Lilith Fair-era of the late-90s/early-00s when radio regularly broadcast the talents of Lisa Loeb, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole, Tracy Chapman, Tori Amos, Rilo Kiley and Jewel. (Remember what a radio was?)
She's 19-year old Taylor Janzen who -- like fellow Canadian Alanis Morissette -- specializes in composing confessions highlighting heartaches seemingly pulled directly from the pages of her private journal.
According to the author, the lyrics of “What I Do” are extremely personal and poignant, words she carefully layered underneath a guitar-driven, mid-tempo backbeat. It’s a familiar theme: The more one reaches out, the more the other pulls away.
“I know that you try your best, but there are things you just can't fix, and darling I am one of them…”
Janzen explained to Apple Music, “I’ve struggled with mental health issues my whole life, and so when I got into my first serious relationship, I had to get used to the reality of those issues affecting the other person. This song is about not knowing what to do to change that.”
It was this revelation which made me wonder if those personal struggles became the reason the first four notes from her guitar perfectly mirror John Mandel’s 1970 composition, “Suicide Is Painless.” (Remember the theme from “M*A*S*H?”)
I seriously doubt it, but I found the correlation a somewhat curious coincidence.
Although “What I Do” has an ebb-and-flow feel that quickly glows-up in depth and dimension, this brief ballad (just under three-minutes) acoustically lands where it was launched but remains powerfully simple throughout.
“It started out as an acoustic folk song I wrote in my bedroom,” she says. “I’m so proud of what it’s morphed into, because I love exploring different sounds and energies in my music, while still keeping the core of my songwriting sacred. And this song is a perfect example of what that looks like for me.”
During the core of the track, Taylor delivers her vocals in a matter-of-fact manner which seems to match the emotional exhaustion found within her poetry. This all leads-up to an infectious chorus preceded by a momentary pause where she catches her breath before releasing a series of “OOHs” that come immediately after she does the “DOOs.” Each one more a bit more emotional than the last.
I hope you enjoy this latest find as much as I have. Her music video is posted below. And, I shall keep my ears peeled for more!
That’s just what I do.
