We live in an age where style seems far more important than substance, at least in music. Artists are often more interested in seeing what the studio can do to enhance their music, what gimmicks and gizmos, glitz and glamour they can add to their songs to make them stand out. Or worse, they spend all their time worrying about their self-image, publicity shots or sponsorship deals.
Thankfully, there are artists such as Miles East who still remember the things that matter. He fully understands that before you worry about any of those peripheral things (if you do), you must have the fundamentals in place. You need to be saying something with your music; you need to have a better reason to make music than to stroke your ego. More than anything, you have to have the songs.
Miles has the songs, Lucky To Be Here Tonight is perfect proof of that. It is a simple, unadorned, yet poised and polished song. Understatement plays a big part too. Sure, there are beats and bass lines and other shimmering sonics scattered throughout, but they only do what is necessary to serve the song. That’s an important phrase, so I’ll repeat it. The instruments and input here do only what serves the song.
Lyrically, too, he cuts to the chase. Lucky To Be Here Tonight is gentley celebratory, a song giving thanks for life and the beauty that surrounds us, and love itself. It also introduces such philosophical ideas about the passing of time, the message between the lines being that life is short; make the most of it, but also be thankful for it.
They say that the sign of a well-crafted song is that you can strip it back to its basics, paring it down so that it can be performed with just a voice and a guitar, and it will still work. Miles East doesn’t have to bother editing or stripping back; he starts with both feet planted firmly in that understated place.