Track Review: Ashleigh Bo // Nana Joy
Hailing from New South Wales, Australia, singer-songwriter Ashleigh Bo delicately weaves intimate lyricism with endearing melodies. Walking through a gothic romanticism with a melancholic vibe, Ashleigh’s simplistic music is honest, genuine and intense. The latest addition to her growing discography is the single ‘Nana Joy’.
The follow-up to her critically acclaimed debut single ‘Broken Head Hill’, Ashleigh adopts an Amy Winehouse meets Janis Ian intimacy in ‘Nana Joy’. Exploring the complex relationship between grandmother, mother and daughter, ‘Nana Joy’ is “a song born of the grieving process of death and complex family dynamics”. While the underlying message of the track adds a certain element of melancholy, it is Ashleigh’s husky vocals that enhance the poignancy of the single.
In many cases, a melody will carry the vocals to make a track what it is; however, this is not the case with Ashleigh Bo. Using only her voice with simple instrumentation, the guitar-drive track has an acoustic quality making it engaging and personal. Moreover, the brusque Dylan-esque lyricism complements Ashleigh’s dulcet tones effortlessly creating a soul-stirring film-noir soundscape.