Shawn Brown – What A Way To Go

In the singer-songwriter music scene, the most important traits you can have are emotion and sincerity, which many artists don’t carry in their music anymore. Somehow, most of those acts lose their essence due to the trends imposed by social media platforms and streaming services. Thankfully, on the other side of this spectrum, some artists still write, compose, record, and perform music straight from the heart. Shawn Brown, a singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon, crafts music that deeply resonates with listeners. Each vocal, sonic, and rhyhtmic maneuver wraps around the listening apparatus, grabs by the collar, and refuses to let go long after the last notes and beats fade away. That’s exactly what’s happening on “What a Way to Go,” his latest piece of work that definitely deserves your utmost attention. Lyrically, the song is about two people falling in love while the world around them feels increasingly uncertain. The artist vividly portrays a romance tested by the hardships of life, pressure, instability, and other obstacles. It’s one of those compositions many listeners will find highly relatable. Sonically, Shawn Brown combines several complementary genres to convey the message in the best way possible. Perhaps alternative rock comes to mind first, as each segment of the song carries all the fundamental elements of this genre, but do not be surprised if you stumble upon some of the finest properties of indie rock, classic rock, folk rock, etc. All these subgenres have been carefully, thoughtfully, expertly incorporated into the song’s core, and you’ll definitely notice them along the way. But also, the song retains its primary sonic direction as much as possible. Also, this composition strikes with immense melody and harmony, while providing lots of power. It has a lot to do with how Shawn Brown produced this composition. You’ll hear how “What a Way to Go” carries qualities that meet all the trends in contemporary music production, but also contains a subtle touch of nostalgia that makes it addictive, engaging, and even more. It’s definitely a song that will end up on your playlist as soon as you hear it.

Shawn Brown’s exceptional vocal performance elevates this masterpiece to an entirely new level. His soulful, passionate, sincere, confident, powerful performance contributes more melody over all those marvelous orchestrations, commands attention, and serves as a guide through every segment of this beautiful love song. His vocal range perfectly suits every low, mid, and high note, enhancing the impact of each melody, harmony, and theme from start to finish. The additional vocal layers, back vocals, and singalongs make “What a Way to Go” so catchy, memorable, and anthemic, especially during the choruses when this composition needs choirs the most. The wisely assembled interplay between guitars and keys plays a significant role here, as it builds a perfect backdrop for all the vocals to shine upon. You’ll notice how guitars shift from the subtle palm-muted riffs to much more expansive, tastefully distorted chord progressions. On the second verse, Brown lets those guitars ring even more, perfectly supporting his vocal performance. In the meantime, the keys deliver marvelous themes, melodies, harmonies, and pads, making this composition so heavenly mesmerizing, otherworldly, ethereal, but still grounded in classic rock tradition. Both guitar and keys resonate so beautifully in the mix, without spoiling other instrumentation. This composition wouldn’t sound this good without an equally impressive rhythm section. All the warmth, depth, clarity, and heaviness come from perfectly assembled basslines. Each low-end tone immensely supports guitars and keys throughout the entire song, while also acting as a binding element between the mentioned orchestrations and drums. It’s also good to mention how these warm, deep, dense, heavy tones delivered by bass guitar contribute tremendous groove and detail without ever overwhelming anything. Quite the contrary, they are perfectly tucked beneath guitars and keys yet vividly hearable. The excellent drumming performance keeps everything together while dictating steady groove and pace. Each beat, break, and fill has its place and purpose here, making this composition so dynamic, groovy, powerful yet gentle, mellow, and calm when necessary. You can literally hear that Shawn Brown thought about everything while writing, composing, arranging, and producing this fine piece of sonic artistry.

Once again, Shawn Brown showcases why he’s one of the best singer-songwriters on the contemporary music scene. With meaningful lyrics and outstanding vocal, sonic, and rhyhtmic performance, “What a Way to Go” is one of those songs that immediately tackle all the senses. As soon as you press play, this song draws you into a wisely constructed whirlwind, built upon so many beautiful themes, melodies, and harmonies while the equally impressive rhythm section keeps everything in groovy motion. If you love soulful, mesmerizing rock music from the bottom of your heart, this composition will immediately become your anthem. “What a Way to Go” is available on all streaming platforms. Do not miss it!