Eli Lieb - Hollywood

Buy Hollywood here (iTunes US)

As the old Madonna adage goes, everyone comes to Hollywood - but life, experience and art has taught us that La La Land isn't always the utopia of dreams that people want it to be. It is, in fact, a place of hopes, disappointments, fears and optimism; the gamut of human emotions that demonstrate how indomitable the human spirit really is. These are themes that gifted singer-songwriter, Eli Lieb, tackles on his eloquent new single, Hollywood. It is an elegantly constructed narrative that is swathed in an engaging score and bought to life by Eli's emotive, nuanced vocals - vocals that are fueled by introspection, memories and an ultimate acceptance of his relationship with a city. Eli uses beautifully descriptive words and metaphors to bring his story into vivid focus, making the listener feel like they are experiencing the journey with him. He is wonderfully talented at doing this, making his songs an intimate story that are easy to transpose onto your own life experience. There is a languorous aching to the track as Eli sifts through his journey, recalling the highs and lows of life - yet it never becomes too melancholy thanks to a vibrant chorus that exquisitely layers his voice into dual harmonies, adds an echoing effect and introduces a hand-clap beat that sends it soaring to the stars. It is this cathartic release of sentiments that ensures the song has hope at it's very core - Eli, like the demise of any relationship, has to work through his feelings in order to move on; that he does so with such mellifluous grace and passion is surely to the listener's benefit. We live in a world where there is enough negativity and sorrow around, so when we can do something positive about our own situation we should listen to Eli's message and grab the opportunity with both hands. A truly lovely piece of work, and I wish him all the best with the next stage of his life adventure...