Virginia Beach, Virginia’s Rina Chanel teams up with Senghor Robinson for the former’s new single “Sweetest of Melody”. The cut comes from her self-titled EP Rina and boasts an impressive blend of jazz and R&B capable of appealing to casual and hardcore fans of both styles.
Her vocal chops leap out. It doesn’t come across in her music, but it isn’t difficult to believe Chanel has training as an opera singer. Her dazzling control allows her to elevate already fine material with an ease few of her peers or contemporaries can match. Chanel cycles through several emotional tones with relaxed ease yet balances it with complete command of fundamentals.
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Evocative horn playing opens the song on a languid note. Chanel paces the performance in a luxurious fashion that’s a throwback in some respects, but modern production values complement its timelessness. Chanel’s phrasing has a smooth floating quality, there’s nothing forced about any of her lines, and the sultry sophistication never strikes a crude note.
Some may say the song runs a little too long. It clocks in near the four-minute mark, but even cynical listeners will be hard-pressed to identify any self-indulgence. There’s no extended instrumental breaks potentially drawing the listener’s attention away from Chanel’s singing, but the musicianship is distinguished. It serves the song, first and foremost, but sparkles with such audible inspiration that her collaborator’s gifts shine through.
The lyrical content doesn’t open new vistas in the form. It isn’t intended to do so. Instead, the words for “Sweetest of Melody” are every bit as accessible as the musical arrangement, vocal melody, and playing. Chanel is making a play for the widest possible audience rather than playing to a narrow segment of possible fans; it isn’t difficult to hear this scoring significant success on R&B and/or soul-themed radio stations.
It isn’t difficult imagining this succeeding in a live setting. Translating “Sweetest of Melody” from its relatively laid out and pristine recording over to the comparative unpredictability of concert performance shouldn’t be difficult for Rina Chanel and her musical partners. It’s certain to be a crowd favorite as well, lighters burning and held high perhaps, or the audience riveted with every word.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/sweetest-of-melody-feat-senghor-robinson/1588654754?i=1588654755
Let’s hope Rina Chanel doesn’t run into reasons to be discouraged and walk away from her budding pop music career. She’s recording and releasing powerful material that can touch countless lives across the spectrum and, even more importantly, can sustain those talents for years, maybe decades, to come. “Sweetest of Melody” deserves to be heard as much as possible.
It’s a long road from opera recitals and concerts to the smoky and atmospheric pop of Rina Chanel’s “Sweetest of Melody”. There are many miles ahead of her, however, and there’s no doubt this singer and performer intends to make the most of every fork in the road ahead. It feels like we’re at the start of something special with this and there’s so much about this single that will inspire listeners new and old to keep coming back for more. It’s worth the return trip.
Loretta Kim