(September 12, 2021) Earlier this year we were introduced to the music of Michigan-based singer, songwriter and pianist Hannah Baiardi, and we were immediately taken back three decades, to the era when radio was filled with intelligent, musically diverse performances on the soul/jazz edge, many of which were adopted by the then-emerging smooth jazz genre.
That music is tougher to find these days, but hearing Baiardi’s new single, “Reason,” reminds us of why it struck a chord in the first place. Driven by her acoustic piano and finger-popping beat, the song’s attractively light tone slowly draws listeners into the groove. But its airiness somewhat masks a message that feels very 2021:
The struggle is real
We feel it every day
Weighing us down
Gotta really pull our weight
To find the light
To stay and fight somehow
(September 12, 2021) Earlier this year we were introduced to the music of Michigan-based singer, songwriter and pianist Hannah Baiardi, and we were immediately taken back three decades, to the era when radio was filled with intelligent, musically diverse performances on the soul/jazz edge, many of which were adopted by the then-emerging smooth jazz genre.
That music is tougher to find these days, but hearing Baiardi’s new single, “Reason,” reminds us of why it struck a chord in the first place. Driven by her acoustic piano and finger-popping beat, the song’s attractively light tone slowly draws listeners into the groove. But its airiness somewhat masks a message that feels very 2021:
The struggle is real
We feel it every day
Weighing us down
Gotta really pull our weight
To find the light
To stay and fight somehow
Whether about a love gone sideways or about the drain of a too-long pandemic, “Reason” ultimately concludes that the best way to get through a rough patch is with the hand of a friend: “Just follow me when you fall.”
Baiardi’s breathy vocals work nicely with the arrangement, and deliver the kind of sophisticated, adult soul/jazz gem that doesn’t get old – even if modern radio hasn't caught on yet.
Check out “Reason” and welcome Hannah Biardi back to SoulTracks.
By Chris Rizik
Hannah Baiardi - "Reason"