Ella Blicker, the songstress behind “Don’t Got Time” and “Let Me Be the Girl” is honing on the person that has her back in her latest single, “Owe It All”. Captivating and coming across as a great, mid-tempo pop track, “Owe It All” has semblances of Joni Mitchell meets Fiona Apple meets Haim. Blicker’s musical background – she’s a violinist, pianist and guitarist – comes to the surface in the song’s relaxing and engaging music bed. A bit playful and definitely profound, Blicker’s latest venture is a continuation of the artists’ evolving (and maybe revolving) songwriting arc.
To say “Owe It All” is pure pop might be a bit misleading. I know I hear the strings – I’m just not certain if it’s the guitar or the violin. I know for sure I hear the piano in this track – it rains on the listener like a drizzle in the Spring air. Blicker’s voice revels in the coolness; the rhythm grabs hold of her voice, too. She has such resolve, such certainty in her voice is hard to miss. When she sings of this person or this thing that she owes so much too, it’s obvious she’s an admirer. It became quite clear very early on in this song, that I was going to fall deeply under Blicker’s spell.
She peppers in some numbers for lyrics – ‘1-2-3-4’ followed by ‘you stood by me, every time’ and then ‘4-5-6’ followed by ‘now you’re entered my mind’. I liked the playfulness of the numbers, and the way the numbers roll off her vocal delivery. It makes it very easy to sing along to, as well. And not in the nursery rhymes sort of way – these lyrics, even though they make quick appearances at the beginning and end of the song, they definitely get stuck in your heart and head.
I think if you’re looking for a song where the lyrics hit you hard to serve as an emotional faucet, you might have to look elsewhere. “Owe It All” is straightforward and Blicker delivers only snippets of her thoughts. It’s as though she were doodling in her notebook and tracing her fingers around the words – she doesn’t go too much deeper. But she doesn’t need to. I didn’t feel the need to be weighed down by this song. It just felt like I was floating away and enjoying the tones and the vibe of it all. Blicker lets the music do the talking where she doesn’t insert her words. I loved the way you get to explore the music, especially the piano, more and more with each listen. During some spins, it sounded sad to me. Cautious even.
I kept going round-and-round with my reactions. Other times, the music is daring. Meticulous. Maybe even unnerving. And during other listens, it’s freeing and butterfly-like. Joyous. Fun. Through it all – it’s new and distinctively Blicker. She sets the bar pretty high with “Owe It All”. The verdict? You can probably guess by now that “Owe It All” received high marks. Who knows how you will react, but for me, it hit a whole new level.
Chadwick Easton
The music of Ella Blicker has been heard all over the world in partnership with the radio plugging services offered by Musik and Film Radio Promotions Division. Learn more https://musikandfilm.com