Carlos Elliot – Rattle Snake
Nearly all of us have been exposed to a lot of music, whether we’ve asked for it or not. We’ve heard it, it’s entered our mind and we all think that we know what to expect from the very next song that we’ll hear. But that doesn’t mean we asked for it or that we even enjoyed most of the songs we’ve heard in this lifetime. Most of them were blasting out of shops, advertisements, or car radios. Nowhere to hide.
They created an expectation, sure enough. We all think that we know what we’re going to hear. But we’re also waiting to be disappointed as we get delivered tunes stitched up Frankenstein-style.
There is, however, music that doesn’t require to have been previously heard. There is also music that impacts the body before it reaches the mind. And this is music that is not created by gluing together a bunch of formulas. It’s as natural as can be.
Carlos Elliot’s “Rattle Snake” would make blues legend Peter Green or ancient African musicians proud in equal measure. Indeed, this is not about musical recipes but about getting to the very heart of rock n’ roll spirit. You’re supposed to feel the music burning in your bones first. And once you think you can’t take anymore, that’s when, if you’re lucky, you’re going to realize what it’s all for. You’ve never needed all of the thousands of songs to know what to expect. You just need to be willing to feel it.
Sayed Sabrina – What’s Happening Here?
If Janis Joplin had just been a singer who could hit an A5 consistently in full voice and nothing else, few would still be talking about her. If a modern singer possesses the exact vocal attributes of Ms. Joplin but little of her personality was to release music nowadays, she would simply be a contestant on one of the popular karaoke television shows and little else.
That’s fine enough, but the people who fall in love with those kinds of singers aren’t voice coaches looking to grade someone on their tone and execution. The people who fall in love have no choice in the matter. They are bewitched by a force bigger than themselves. This, in turn, must mean that the performer is actively searching for something larger than themselves, something so powerful that they need to wrestle with, something that is not easily contained.
Sayed Sabrina is not a typical singer, although she possesses a great tone and can sing the blues like it’s nobody’s business. However, it is the wild, reckless journey she takes herself on while performing “What’s Happening Here?” that really makes the song and herself special. These are the vocals of someone looking to break through, to escape, to discover something wholly new. This ain’t a polite blues performance. Some people search for it, and only those people may be lucky to find it.
