Date released: August 8, 2022
Part of the WITHLOVEFEST3 review series
For the next couple weeks, I'll be reviewing selected songs from the artists of WithLoveFest3, held on November 10, 2022 in NYC.
TL;DR: Polished vocals and songwriting help to cover up some mediocre production choices on "Fire."
While I went to NYC as a big fan and friend of Ayah Abdul, another of the opening acts from WithLoveFest3, I decided it was time to make clear my commitment to supporting independent music. Enter Aura de la Luna, the smooth-voiced soulful follow-up to Ayah's set. I chose her most recent release, "Fire", as my review choice. Overall, I like what I hear, although I feel the production holds this song back from being more than merely good.
Speaking of which, I'm not sure what to make of this production. Is it soul? R&B? Adult contemporary? Whatever it is, it doesn't quite land the mood of the song. I'm not sure if it's supposed to be a dance groove, a moody lament, or both. In any case, there's not enough there to convince me that the mix justifies its own existence. That's a shame, because I want to love this song, but the production just isn't in my wheelhouse.
The vocals are where Aura de la Luna really gets a chance to shine. She has the polish and smoothness of an accomplished vocalist, but especially on the bridge before the final chorus, you hear the raw emotional power and range that set her apart. The tone and flow are no problem at all, and while parts of this song can be relatively easy, you need a strong, competent vocalist to pull off certain segments. Aura de la Luna certainly meets those criteria.
The lyrics are somewhat mysterious (a favorite word of mine to use when I have no idea what a song is really about), but you can hear a narrator aching for freedom. Freedom from what, of course, is the question. Is it an existential crisis? A bad relationship? The world at large? I could make a compelling case for the latter: "say they know the truth, but they lie straight to your face/how could you say you're aware/but play into all these games?" It's an intriguing song, and I'd be curious to know the background.
At the end of the day, while I'm not sold on the instrumentation and the lyrics have me puzzled in spots, I think this is a solid song. I'm curious to hear more from Aura de la Luna going forward.
Score: 7/10 (flawed but strong)