A behind-the-scenes songwriter for many years, Miami, FL based singer-songwriter Sarah Belle has finally decided to directly attach her name to the music she releases, for the first time. “Music is the silver lining that unites us all. My biggest hope is that my music resonates with people and that they listen to it and feel inspired and less alone,” states the creative songstress, who draws significant inspiration from legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift. She steps up to the plate with her debut single, “Say U Love Me”, taken from her upcoming EP “Spring”, and it is clear from the get-go that Sarah Belle’s music depends on the interplay and nuance between melodic and vocal accessibility and what might be called poignant emotional load.
On “Say U Love Me”, the singer-songwriter embraces luscious hooks, delivering them with a crystalline voice while reveling in confessional and poetic sentimental declarations. In this way, Sarah Belle crafts a tale of lyrical intrigue that digs deep emotionally. While the verses are austerely dominated by the piano, the arrangement makes thoughtful use of soft-loud dynamics as it builds towards the choruses.
Sarah Belle voice is wrapped in captivating accents that gently move from sublime to effectively soaring, as she unravels a story of love, loss, and all of the complications and complexities in between. While there’s an edgy quality to the tune, especially in the choruses, the listener encounters a production-oriented glossiness and hyper-precision that underscores the track’s relatability.
This is a masterclass in fragility, and temperate rays of hope, lyrically and sonically. The production strips it back, to allow Sarah Belle’s voice the space it needs to communicate her feelings, but with a driving, hypnotic power pushing the song forward. The idea of needing to push forward, while still desperately tied to the past, is also woven into the fabric of the narrative, as Sarah searches for a positive response within a negative situation.
“The clouds are swirling in a haze. Just like they were on that summer day. When our love ran away. And I know that its alright, and I know that it’s okay. But I still hold on to when you would say: Say you love me when its over. Say you love me when you’re sober. That its real that you’ll come over. Watch TV, like we used to be. So in love when we were 19. Omnipotence of a teenage dream. Cause when I look up at the sky, I swear I still see your eyes,” recites the song, which glistens wistfully with the introspective reckoning of a vanished relationship.
While this melodramatic trope can seem overused and hackneyed in love ballads, despite the authenticity of the storyline, Sarah Belle’s interpretation of such, remains, lyrically, vocally, and melodically engaging. In fact, “Say U Love Me” contains enough emotional drive and vocal nuance to be infectious. It is an ambitious work by an immensely gifted artist, who is continuing to explore her musical possibilities.
“Say U Love Me” is a record of evolving, juxtaposing moods and dynamics. As each line and verse flows into another like a stream of consciousness, dissecting Sarah Belle’s changing emotional status. In a world where pop and mainstream music is becoming more and more superficial, this single has plenty to unpack, with each listen peeling back layers of nostalgic heartache. The result is a song that is hauntingly beautiful, within its obvious sorrow and regret.
OFFICIAL LINKS – IG: @sarahbelleofficial – YouTube: Sarah Belle – Spotify: Sarah Belle
