Single Selection... Asher Monroe - Hush Hush

If, like me, you were caught unaware that all round ace future global megastar, Asher Monroe, was premiering his new single Hush Hush on KIISFM then you will have also scrambled about like a loon on loon tablets to make sure that you got a listen. I was actually in a Spanish drag bar at the time, having just finished a triumphant karaoke rendition of Salt n Pepa's Shoop when I got a text from a friend who had seen the news pon de twitter. I begged the bar owner for the wi-fi password (it was 'dontstealme'!) and huddled in a salubrious bathroom trying to drown out a group of Spanish drag queens murdering Demi Lovato's Heart Attack while I streamed til my heart's content :)OH THE GLAMOUR (and the things I'll do for new Asher Monroe music)... I can confirm that among this din, I managed to make out that the song is a delicious summery vibe that will ensure by the end of these balmy heated months, Asher will be a household name with this tune on everyone's lips. And quite rightly so - it's a giddy little treat of a tune that sparks with a frisson of the forbidden. It percolates with a propulsive instrumental that provides the perfect backdrop for Asher to weave his musical alchemy around. Ultimately, he creates a song that embeds in your brain, invades your senses and challenges your emotions - and therein lies just a small part of the genius that is Asher Monroe...

I've written about a handful of gloriously talented artists several times this year (Ed Drewett, Velvet Stream, Scarlett's Roses). People must think I'm on the payroll :D Asher Monroe, for sure, is at the top of this select list. He's proven his diversity and versatility with sparkling pop gems like Hello Baby, Ibiza-esque dance vibes in Here With You, and rocking out assertiveness on Every Night. He continues this creative streak on Hush Hush where his lyrics and vocals are absolute standouts - meaning not only will the song sound great on the radio next to the likes of Bruno Mars' Treasure or Justin Timberlake's Mirror, but that it will actually shine out bright alongside them. He tells a tale of a love affair that cannot be made public - one that is taboo in the world the song's characters inhabit. It instantly taps into the thrill and excitement this type of relationship engenders, drawing the listener into the song and making them complicit in keeping this all "hush hush"... (It also allows the listener to project their own experiences into the song and make it personal to them, interpreting the lyrics to their own memories and circumstance). This alone is clever enough - the words are vivid brushstrokes on the musical canvas. Add in the urgent sense of the instrumental that mirrors the fervent emotions of the lyrics and you feel like you are living in a song where you are seconds away from being discovered. This heightens the experience of the verbotten, the naughty thrill, the running (hand in hand) just a corner away from the world spying in and spoiling the intimacy of what you have. This is topped off with a truly emotive delivery from the Asher, elevating the song to greatness (the fact that in the chorus line of "dirty little secret" Asher manages to convey both tender longer and raw sex appeal all in three words is all the evidence you need of this fella's ample abilities)... Prepare yourself now for a summer of Hush Hush because this is one secret that can't be kept :)