“Pause” by “Jared Matthew” showcases a talented vocalist and rapper with a fairly unique sound. The track itself takes a little bit from the classic hip hop sound, the mellow vibe, a slightly vintage, hip hop-tinted influence, and fuses it with an incredibly energetic rap performance.
The laid-back and calming sound of the musical backdrop contrasts notably with the high energy of the rap vocal. Similarly, the chorus, or hook section, beautifully and stylishly sung, also has a very easygoing and chilled-out nature to it. The whole track throws out a few different ideas and the energy switches several times in just a few minutes. The structure of the piece as well is particularly unusual.
The music has a cinematic sort of strength to it. Although gentle in nature, it’s a soundscape that washes over you like white water – the effect is immense. In amidst the synths you hear the distant echo of a piano, in among that you hear the awesome yet captivating beat, and woven in along with all of this is the beauty of the leading voice.
The sound is complex, yet peaceful; intricate, yet easily accessible. Creativity is present in every moment – in the instrumentation, the mix, the production, the lyrics, the structure, and indeed the vocal performance. The emotion in the artist’s voice is clear and consistent and compelling, whether it’s strong, almost whispered moments, or the bigger, soulful and striking ones.
The great thing is that while the song does maintain the basic elements of hip-hop and rap, so as to pull in the right kind of audience in the beginning, it also offers up something more intense; faster, creatively independent, with a huge collection of lyrics and an unquestionable amount of character embedded in the performance. The music is so beautiful that at first, it’s not really the lyrics that are picked up on from the rap performance, the vocal flow is so fast that many of these fly by in a little bit of a haze, but the beauty of the music means that this isn’t a negative at all – you’re highly likely to listen again.
