Newer musical faces can be categorized into tiers. There are the fresh up-starts who make music that’s full of soul and character but ultimately flawed due to lack of experience, there are also those who hit way too hard, right from the get-go, they burn their most valuable cards early on and find nothing exciting to keep the fans excited on the long run, and many other tiers. Jimmy Stanfield has landed on what can possibly be the rarest of these tiers, the one with consummate professionals, crafting calculated musical landscapes, holding nothing back, and simultaneously not giving up too much.
Depend On You is Jimmy’s debut single, and it’s a stunner. Stanfield is a Melbourne-based musician, and perhaps categorizing this song as Country would be unfair to its Rocking potential and recognizing its Rocking potential will lead to the unveiling of the delicious bluesiness that resides in the undercurrents. But it’s more than Country, Rock, and Blues. Depend On You is a gut-wrenching, slow-hitting ballad of gargantuan proportions. Jimmy hosts Noah Bond of Cut Worms on Drums, while he keeps himself real busy with Guitar, Bass, and Voice duties.
The thing that hits the earliest (and probably the hardest) is the succulent guitars. Overdriven to perfection and with breathy reverb, it’s also brilliantly played. Jimmy Stanfield has sophisticated rhythmic chops that he shows off with confidence all over the song. The voice has heavy presence and is very mature, minimal, and restrained. But maybe what shines the brightest is the composition itself. Again, mature and restrained, with flowing verses and choruses that, while cliché and common, blend seamlessly and serve the song beautifully, and with a part that turns to major (when it shouldn’t) that’s interesting and attention-grabbing.
Jimmy Stanfield is a talented songwriter and guitarist, who managed with his debut single to gain the attention of a serious new fan, that’ll be on the lookout for all that he still has to offer.
