Lorenzo Gabanizza’s “You’re Not There” is the sort of ballad we rarely hear nowadays. It’s a mature lyric informed by life’s bitter lessons. There’s redemptive value, however, underlying this performance found in its urging us to continue trying. The bonus of Gabanizza packaging the track in such an attractive and well-rounded musical arrangement is another key to the song’s success.
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It moves with patient, slow-building grandeur. This isn’t a track biting off more than it can chew and veering into overwrought territory but, instead, a dramatic musical piece. Guest singer Jeff Christie understands how his vocal can enhance its qualities and tailors it accordingly. He has a warm baritone voice projecting a great deal of wisdom without ever sounding foreboding. Anyone over the age of thirty will have little difficulty relating to his perspective.
There are several outstanding instrumental performances. Measured drumming gives “You’re Not There” much of its stately pacing, never cluttering the song, and has a clear physical sound. The guitar and saxophone are its clear lead instruments, the former laying down lyrical lines counterpointing Christie’s vocal, while the sax playing sharpens the song’s emotional urgency. Gabanizza shows a great instinct for balancing these different elements.
He’s logged time with a variety of musical projects. Gabanizza toured Europe as a member of Queen tribute band Mantras and later worked with another Queen cover band named The Slightly Mad. His 2016 album Celtic Bridge garnered considerable attention and two additional EP’s have followed with similar success. He’s worked with Grammy award-winning music professionals at every turn and this talent for identifying ideal collaborators will continue serving him well.
That talent serves him well here. Christie has a perfect guest star for Gabanizza’s material and the willingness he shows in sharing the spotlight reveals a key lesson about his art. He prioritizes the song over personal glory. It’s all about putting the right music out there, expressing the song’s message as good as he can, and entertaining listeners. The song has the right length for modern listeners and splits the difference well between the instrumental and vocal portions.
It’s sophisticated while inviting. The lyrics tackle subject matter far from cheerful, the inevitability of our demise, and how rarely we appreciate the life we have until it’s too late, but the instructive tone is welcome. It tempers any potential for heavy-handedness. The wordplay is often quite effective, particularly during the chorus. It’s easy to assume Gabanizza’s challenges in life, such as recovering from a terrible traffic accident in 2018, have sharpened the song’s sentiments.
“You’re Not There” is well worth your time. Its melodic strengths are sure to attract countless listeners and it delivers a timeless message without ever condescending to listeners. That’s a rare achievement. It’s far from the final achievement we’ll hear from this outstanding artist; his creative spirit seems to fly higher with each new outing. Lorenzo Gabanizza’s new single ranks among the year’s best and should open many new doors.
Chadwick Easton