Fabúla - With His Eyes Closed
Beginning with a guitar melody that immediately tells you a story, With His Eyes Closed sounds like you've stepped into a noir film. With a sultry and cheeky quality to the singing, this story takes form at the jazz bar. It's dark and broody and entrancing. Fabúla gives a spectacular vocal performance, her background in dramatic arts and musical theatre shining through. I love how jazz vocal performances are so in control of the story that they're telling. Every time she sings the same melody, she makes small changes that elevate the song. And her dynamic singing gives so much character but is never overwhelming. The humming is haunting and ominous, creating a foggy layer over this story that we're getting to see. Story is really important to me in a song. I always try to find patterns and moments that the creators chose to put in and find a narrative arc there. One such choice is the instrumental break with the woodwind and brass instruments. It brings a tonal shift, an optimism, to this cynical story. But it's taken away again, the guitar bringing back the broody and the seductive. Like this story cannot have a happy ending. The cinematic fade-out is the cherry on top. It makes us want to know more of the story, maybe hold on to the hope that things will get better. That the story isn't over yet. The bass guitar does exactly what it needs to do throughout, the rich sound always one of my favourite things to listen to. Released in 2009, I was surprised by how beautifully timeless this song is. This is what artists hope to achieve with their music. To immortalise a song and its story despite the passing of time and trends. With His Eyes Closed by Fabúla is a hypnotising blend of sound that is definitely going onto my jazz playlist.
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