“Pillar of Salt”
It’s hard to make an acoustic guitar/vocal driven song original, as so much artists have abused this combination with mostly soporific effect. Not so here with this compelling first single from Eliza Sayers.
There’s a relentless quality to that acoustic guitar groove, with it’s cool syncopation and stops, that makes me think of the energetic way a Pete Townshend is using the instrument. Doubled by great drumming (mostly snare, I hear a couple of crash cymbals strategically placed here and there but that’s about it for the kit). Add to this Eliza’s sultry vocals (with cool harmonies during the suspenseful pre-chorus and the chorus) and this minimalistic yet driven arrangement makes this first single from a very young singer songwriter something very compelling to hear.
This is a song about pain, and from Eliza’s confession, it's about that significant someone in your life who treats you terribly, yet you just keep running back to… Now pain is often the motor of the best art, it can be so hard to bear that it makes you burst into a song, to express that pain so that for a few minutes it can be shared and attenuated.
Coming from a 16-year-old, this can seem unusual, although everyone knows that teenagers are the most prone to angst and the agonies of love. And this song is powerful because of that.
Well done, Eliza! We can’t wait to hear what’s next for you!
Verdict: 5/5 beards
You can buy this song on CD Baby: https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/elizasayers