Chelsy Kaze – Skyline (2020)
Coming from Vancouver, Chelsy Kaze is a young folk-pop artist. She has been writing songs since the age of 12 and released her first single earlier this year. Combined with the talents of Colin Turley (electric guitar), Kaylin Cushenan (backing vocals), Aaron Turner (backing vocals, piano), Kyle Hagen (bass) and Matthew Logan (drums, violin), Kaze has now dropped her debut album Skyline.
All the songs on the album were written by Kaze including one from when she was 16. Skyline is an open book where you catch a glimpse of love, joy, heartbreak and pain in each track.
The first track ‘Rescue Me’ was written during a difficult time in Kaze’s life. The song hooks you with the opening that leads smoothly to Kaze’s gentle vocals. The lyrics of the track are sadder and darker than the melody makes you think. The vocals have a yearning in them that really resonates throughout the track.
‘Invisible’ has a slower melody to it but is just as captivating as ‘Rescue Me’. This track also has a sense of sadness in it with the lyrics laying out the feeling of being invisible to people. The vocal performance is soft on this song, but that only enhances the message of the track and the emotions it evokes.
‘Matthew’ hooks you with a more electric rock guitar opening. The inclusion of guitar notes throughout the track add a little something to the song. This track is easy to listen to but conveys the all-encompassing feelings you can have for one person.
The next track is ‘Fearless’ and brings back an acoustic guitar opening. The relatively simple melody of the track draws your focus to the vocals and lyrics. The harmonisations are outstanding and create a melodic soundscape. The track is the longest on the album, but it seems to fly by.
‘Runaway from Love’ brings the sadness of the first tracks back. This track is highly relatable and lays out the feelings after a breakup. You can hear the heartbreak in each word but there is also a realisation in the song that this was something that happened over time.
‘Turn Around’ is the resolution of the album even though it is not technically the last track. This song gives you hope after the sadness of the rest of the album as it helps you find the light. The violin in this track adds a haunting background to the retrospective lyrics.
The next track is ‘Matthew (Acoustic)’ and is the acoustic version of this track. The stripped-back acoustics does give a different dimension to the track and makes it more intimate. Kaze’s vocals are also highlighted better on this version of the track.
The last song on the album is ‘Turn Around (Acoustic)’. I feel that the lack of violin in the acoustic version takes some of the impact from the track. However, this is still a great version of the song and showcases Kaze’s vocal control.
Chelsy Kaze takes a look at all the significant and relatable moments of life in her album Skyline. Each track focuses on a different moment from breakups to feeling invisible. The album ends with resolution in ‘Turn Around’ which might be my favourite song of them all.
Find out more about Chelsy Kaze on her Instagram and Spotify.
