Greye “What If I”

YOU TUBE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dS57Fanw6Y

Greye are a very good rock band from Daytona Beach, FLA, with many albums to prove it, and “What If I” is just the latest example of their full throttle Pop Rock, Blues and Soul music. But that is not all, because they also move freely from southern to Americana styles, to eclectic cover choices by artists like Chris Rea. Fronted by vocalist Hannah Summer, and she is a premiere talent who should be exposed and their latest album Under The Weather is noticeably more progressive, which has been a consistent thread of forward movement since their first full length release.

“What If I” gets high marks for its outspoken lyrics and outstanding instrumentation which blend together like two different genres fighting for the limelight. But it would be hard to review just one song by a band with so much already out there to reflect on, so it’s safe to say they’ve kept up the standard in which they keep you guessing enough about what kind of music they are. It seems they can play anything, so it’s difficult to keep an identity with such a diverse catalog that stays inside the Pop parameters but also travels far outside of it.

In a word, Summer’s voice is beautiful, but there’s a band here with a lot to appreciate, so let “What If I” be an introduction to them if anything, or let me concur with your already formed opinion that it’s a good track by a good band of musicians with a wholesome spirit from the south. And although I haven’t heard all their music, there’s also plenty of country flavored sensibility to them. You can easily they’re geared for the stage with a lot of variety going on, and this single shows it.

The bass and piano build around her voice and spar together like the pros they are, and it’s only one aspect of the song worth describing. It’s the live ambience and the way they interact that give it that feel and it’s worth exemplifying for interest in their shows. There is a truly live appeal to their original songs, and that’s hard to translate to record without sounding like a live album. You can listen to it over and over and it never gets old, it’s a groove that just keeps on growing as the words progress along with it.

This song and CD were recorded in Muscle Schoals, Alabama, and self- produced, with Brian Reeves mixing. The sound is second to none and the material is as good as it gets for their level of musicianship, which is top notch. The discovery of the rest of their music is what drives this vehicle for any supporter to find everything there is to know about Greye if the music’s not enough, but it speaks for itself and that’s all there is to it. I’m just saying there is a lot more where “What If I” came from and I’m glad I heard it.

SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/40pvk1bQrifNc9MpZswcjz

Michael Rand