Mel Gaynor – Run (2024)
An established veteran in the music industry, Mel Gaynor is known as the powerful drummer for the award-winning Simple Minds (most well-known for their 80s hit ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’. The longest-standing drummer for the Scottish rock band, Gaynor intoxicated audiences with his confident performances and bold musicality. His fiery passion for music was ignited early on when he began drumming at age 11, and at 14 he played his first professional gig; the rest, as they say, is history. For over 35 years, his skills saw him play with iconic artists Brian May, Gary More, Meat Loaf, Robert Palmer and many more.
Proving that a “back-man drummer has frontman charisma”, Mel Gaynor embarked on his first solo project this year. From the iconic synth-rock sound of Simple Minds to a jazz groove on The Mel Gaynor Fusion Project’s album Got The Message, Gaynor shifts to an Americana-influenced on his debut single ‘Run’. Recorded at RYP Studios with producer Michael Smith, ‘Run’ taps into the realm of pop-rock, classic rock and folk grasping a handful of each tossed in the melting pot of ‘Run’.
A harmonic symphony of drums, guitars and even a Celtic fiddle, ‘Run’ can easily be enjoyed as a folk single played at those country bars where everyone wears cowboy boots; however, it can easily be placed on indie-pop, indie-rock and pop-rock playlists. For me, it is the Celtic influence that brings a heartwarming tenderness to ‘Run’; then again, the rich symphony of instruments and Gaynor’s warm vocals are at the heart of its soothing tone. Either way, it’s an intriguing, engaging, soul-stirring rush of powerful music.
Easy on the ears and laidback with a chilled vibe, ‘Run’ has a simplistic beauty lingering in the kaleidoscopic melody. A song “depicting the tale of the archetypal shirker, eternally running away from his responsibilities”, ‘Run’ incorporates the fleeting, um, fleeing from responsibility; however, a hopeful endearment runs through the melody as the shirker “attempts to persuade others to join him on his journey”.
Overall, I am already a big fan of Mel Gaynor with his soothing vocals and fun melody, but I hope he hasn’t peaked too early like some artists – although, I seriously doubt it. I am eager to hear more from Gaynor on his upcoming debut album Come With Me.
Find out more about Mel Gaynor on his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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