Romain Gutsy – If You See Her (2022)
There are often things that you would like to say to an old love you haven’t seen in a long time. With Romain Gutsy’s first single released under his own name, ‘If You See Her’ considers what you would say and the emotions that the yearning to speak brings. Using a faithful folk sound that harkens back to the greats of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Colin Hay, he weaves in an almost jazzy alt-country tone that brings something unique to the sound.
While this is the first track under his real name, Gutsy is no newcomer to the music scene. The French-born singer-songwriter started his career in the 90s in bands such as Les Affamés and Daffy Plays Mandola. After flirting with the pause button on his career and travelling the world, he returned under the moniker THE RED with an album based on classic American and Irish poetry.
The easy folky guitar notes that open ‘If You See Her’ bring a gentle sway to your senses. The gentle strum is all traditional folk that slowly settles on your skin. Lighter tones sparkle in the background like the glint of light off water. It is a rather stripped-back opening that slowly draws you into the single and lets the opening vocals really shine. From the second verse, there is a jazzier vibe to the music as the beat shuffles across your shoulders and the horns lazily wind their way through the air. This is a wonderful transition from the folk of the opening and softly shines the light on Gutsy’s musical versatility. The bridge is decadent as the instruments wash through your senses and lead you to a slightly dramatic movement.
Gutsy’s vocals have a confessional conversational feeling to them as they open the single against the folk guitar. There is an apology laid out in the opening vocals that enhance this feeling. This apology is threaded into a plea for someone to tell a past love something if they see her. The soft confession of the opening verse turns from apologetic to forgiving as the jazzy tones take over the melody. The change of tone in the lyrics is picked up by Gutsy’s delivery and the emotions he invokes. It is a perfect combination of being sorry for the pain you caused and forgiving someone else for the pain they have caused you.
Romain Gutsy balances apologies and forgiveness while saying everything you want to an old love in the rich tones of ‘If You See Her’. The melody moves from folk tones to a jazzy sway that is rich yet stripped-back to allow the vocals to shine. The depth and richness of Gutsy’s vocals gently play with your emotions while drawing you into the confession of the lyrics.
Find out more about Romain Gutsy on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
