Songs about love are everywhere, but genre-bending, Berklee singer-songwriter Chris Walton has a refreshingly original take on the love song.
“This EP is basically three songs in the key of loving someone,” says Chris Walton, who takes the road less traveled on his upcoming EP, Fade. Focusing on the subtle parts of a love story that are not often sung about, his unique approach is paralleled beautifully by the way he blends and juxtaposes musical styles such as jazz, rock, R&B, and soul. Listeners already have a feel for these styles, but Chris’s approach is different: the seamless transitions between genres within a song will leave any listener wanting more.
In the mellow, soulful intro of the first track, “With the Lights On,” Chris sings, “We can do what lovers do / ‘Cuz it’s just me and you with the lights on.” A funky, bouncy rhythm guitar and an optimistic vocal line enter: “I know I’m your guy / And I don’t have to try to win your heart…” The intricate vocal melody and tight groove provided by the drums, bass, and rhythm guitar are guaranteed to make you want to move. A smooth bass fill transitions the song seamlessly to a rap section backed by the band’s precise rhythmic hits before going back to the mellow sound from the intro. Chris takes us on a musical journey and tells us its purpose: “I’m just trying to show you how deep love can go.”
The next step in the journey is the breakup (the “loss of love,” as Chris puts it) with “Whatcha Say.” He sings, “It’s all in whatcha say and whatcha don’t” over rhythmically complex percussion and neo-soul chords. We get a couple of well-placed instrumental breaks, including what Chris calls a “Hendrix-inspired guitar solo” that erupts with the emotion of the breakup. Thematically, “Whatcha Say” leads smoothly into the final song on the EP.
“Fade” starts with nothing more than his voice and a soft acoustic guitar. But we can already hear in the guitar the foreshadowing of complex jazz-influenced harmonies that are to come. The song is about “coming to terms with the loss of love, and figuring out how to move forward in a healthy way,” Chris explains. He sings about how love is “not an easy thing” as a slow, laid-back, almost hypnotic drum beat enters the mix. The tempo gradually accelerates until the drums are playing fast and complex rhythms as he passionately delivers the refrain, “And I know I know I know I can’t make you stay / but I’ll be damned if I let you fade.” Just as the drums return to a modified version of their original pattern, Chris’s voice literally fades out as he sings the last word. It’s an excellent use of word painting that makes us feel like we are hearing what it would be like for passion to fade away.
The three-song EP follows a logical arc through intimacy, loss, and then moving on. And “Fade,” which Chris says might be his favorite song he’s ever written, is the perfect culmination of the subtle narrative of the EP. Listeners are left feeling satisfied by the concise, yet profound, journey through the cycle of love.
Follow Chris Walton on Spotify so you don’t miss out on the cutting edge of deep and thoughtful, yet catchy and funky music.
