British-American crooner George Pelham boldly departs from his signature velvety smooth sound in his new music, "Style," a dark, retro-fueled reply to the seedy underbelly of the world wide web. Swathed in '50s Rock 'n' Roll personality and bursting at the seams with heart, "Style" is no mere song but a statement. Pelham, known for his soulful, emotive voice and polished production, flips the script here. "Style" plunges into the maelstrom of online negativity, but he doesn't just wallow in it. He meets it with a smile and a strut. It's a brash, defiant track, his personal countermove to the noise, the critics, the trolls. The result is an equally cathartic and cool record, like vintage vinyl spinning with a modern pulse.
Production-wise, there's an audible adjustment, too. It's a far cry from the glossy pop fringe that adorned his earlier work, replaced instead by the rougher, live-band energy underneath. The moment the first few bars get out the gate, we snap our fingers and find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a smoky dive bar where the guitars are twanging with attitude, the beat's beating with purpose, and Pelham's voice soulful as always, slices through like a knife. His delivery is as emotive as it is authoritative, basked in a rawness that reflects the emotional charge of the song. Rather than let online comments get under his skin, Pelham dances through them, wearing his own uniqueness-like armor. The track's retro spirit isn't merely skin deep and purely theatrical but also metaphorical, a call-out to an era when rebellion had a beat and bravado was paired with a fly jacket and a crooked smile.
With "Style," George Pelham demonstrates that he is unafraid to expand and get dirt under his nails. It's an audacious new image and sound for an artist already beloved for his gut-punching songwriting. Embracing the grit while drawing from timeless wells of inspiration, Pelham serves up a song that punches right back with equal parts grit, groove, and undeniable swagger. In a world where everyone's commenting, trolling, or otherwise asserting themselves online, George Pelham proves nothing speaks louder than doing your thing with "Style."
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