Honey Gold – Monique Grimme ft. Sapphire Star Studios (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

After establishing herself as someone who can spin more sophisticated rock sounds and folk imagery into songs that are at once atmospheric and elemental, this latest one from Monique Grimme takes a turn into, perhaps, less expected soundscapes. While there is enough of her signature sound – space and subtlety, a heady mix of groove and grace – to be found in “Honey Gold,” it also offers a more soulful and Latin-influenced experience.

As the guitar licks create a delicate structure, the beats head for Southern American climes and the rhythms blend pop contagion with Bossa Nova sass, we are cocooned in a heady mix of Latin moves and infectious grooves. But, of course, it goes beyond being that to, thanks to clever dynamics that build into brilliant brass stabs and hushed late-night vibes, eventually delivering anthemic vocal crescendos and an uplifting sonic payoff. more than the sum of its apparent parts, for sure.

But what does it all mean? Well, anyone who has been paying close attention to her music to date will know that whilst one obvious story plays out on the surface of the lyrics, another, more metaphorical and even philosophical one runs below.

Honey, as we all know, is both a sweet consumable delight and an affectionate name for those people who deliver its emotional equivalent in life. But, she astutely reasons, why is it all too often those that we adorn with such a loving nickname, the ones who often end up causing us the most heartache?

So, as the music sweeps and sashays us around life’s dance floor, as we move deftly and delicately with that image of the perfect partner, as it snakes seductively, carrying us away in its infectious charms, we are reminded that looks can be deceiving, feelings manipulated, and that not everyone is always who they appear.

It’s a cool move on the part of Monique Grimme, having established her prowess as a maker of a very eloquent and elegant pop-rock sound, a tempered and tempting blend of energy and artistry, accessibility and infectiousness, we now find her weaving her way across the more contemporary and pop-infused corner of the Latin ballroom, a gorgeous blend of dance tradition and pop futures!

Brassy and beautiful, sensual and sensational, subtly yet wonderfully revealing, a slow-burning journey from intimate confessions to universal truths, “Honey Gold” is not only warm and welcoming but also a deep and meaningful coming together of Latin-pop punch and heartfelt poignancy!

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