Thursday, January 18, 2018

“Hurt Somebody” by Noah Kahan (with Julia Michaels) – A Song Review

     Noah Kahan has the courage of a Rudimental and the vocal range and purity of a Ben Howard. When you are a singer/songwriter on the rise, it requires confidence and courage to invite someone holding a Grammy to share the spotlight during a recording of your song. There’s a possibility that you will find yourself in the shadow rather than the direct path of that spotlight. We tip our hats to Noah and to Rudimental, the UK band that generates quality music without help, but still brings in accomplished guest vocalists.

     Noah Kahan performed a duet of his song “Hurt Somebody” with Julia Michaels, who experienced a popularity explosion in 2017 with her song “Issues.” Julia is the modern-day Carole King, another artist who wrote numerous commercially successful songs for others before taking the microphone herself (“Writer” and “Tapestry”). Noah and Julia are talent equals during the duet. 

     In addition to vocals, Noah plays the guitar during “Hurt Somebody.” The impactful (sometimes comedic) video of the song without Julia Michaels is embedded in this post. It briefly shows him with the guitar, using a style that provides a sound which is more percussive than melodic. Coincidently, it creates a Rudimental vibe.

     “Hurt Somebody” is the title track of Noah Kahan’s debut EP. Quoting his bio:
  "Growing up in Strafford, VT (pop. 1045), small town wonderment led Noah to explore songwriting early on, emulating musical influences like Paul Simon, Ben Howard, and The Lumineers. Kahan writes with thought-provoking realism about self-doubt and fear while highlighting the intricacies of relationships with an unpolished sincerity. That approach, along with head-turning vocals, has brought Noah a long way from Strafford in a very short time. As a senior in high school, Noah’s unique take on the world and his knack for crafting a captivating story attracted the attention of world-class songwriters Dan Wilson (Adele), Scott Harris (Shawn Mendes), Chris DeStefano (Carrie Underwood), among others. Word spread quickly within the songwriting community and it wasn’t long after graduating that Noah decided to defer his college acceptance to pursue a career in music, eventually straying from the 133-acre tree farm he grew up onto work with Lorde & Khalid’s producer Joel Little. The two recorded six songs together including Noah’s debut single, “Young Blood” which entered Spotify’s US Viral Chart at #5, and quickly cracked over 15 million streams."




Lyrics of “Hurt Somebody” by Noah Kahan
Taking it slowly
I'm afraid to be lonely
Nobody told me
It's harder than I thought to tell the truth

It's gonna leave you in pieces
All alone with your demons
And I know that we need this
But I've been too afraid to follow through

Hold me close and I won't leave
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody
So much to say, but I don't speak
And I hate that I let you stop me
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody

Don't know where the time went
Stuck in the wrong mindset
And I let the rules bend
When I know that all along they're made to break

You got me searching for reasons
To keep me from leaving
And that I have trouble breathing
I give myself another chance to stay, ay

Hold me close and I won't leave
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody
So much to say, but I don't speak
And I hate that I let you stop me
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody

One day before you know it, you will see
All of the pain and all the harmony
You'll feel the stinging and you think of me
'Cause it hurts when you hurt

Hold me close and I won't leave
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody
So much to say but I don't speak
And I hate that I let you stop me
Hold me close and I won't leave
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody
So much to say, but I don't speak
And I hate that I let you stop me
'Cause it hurts when you hurt somebody



NOAH KAHAN DATES SUPPORTING LP 
(Tickets - http://www.noahkahan.com/tour)
02/07 - The Hotel Café - Los Angeles, CA
02/09 - Ace Of Spades - Sacramento, CA
02/10 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
02/11 - The Independent - San Francisco, CA
02/13 - Commodore Ballroom - Vancouver, BC
02/14 - The Showbox - Seattle, WA
02/15 - Wonder Ballroom - Portland, OR
02/16 - Knitting Factory Concert House - Boise, ID
02/17 - Metro - Salt Lake City, UT
02/20 - Belly Up Aspen - Aspen, CO
02/21 - Boulder Theater - Boulder, CO
02/23 - The Truman - Kansas City, MO
02/24 - Metro - Chicago, IL
02/25 - Majestic Theatre - Detroit, MI
02/27 - Danforth Music Hall - Toronto, ON
02/28 - Metropolis - Montreal, QB
03/01 - Brooklyn Steel - Brooklyn, NY
03/02 - Boston, MA - Royale Nightclub
03/03 - Theatre of Living Arts - Philadelphia, PA
03/05 - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC
03/07 - Cat's Cradle - Carrboro, NC
03/08 - The Underground - Charlotte, NC
03/09 - Cannery Ballroom - Nashville, TN
03/10 - Center Stage - Atlanta, GA

1 comment:

  1. I found this guy accidentally on another blog. I really like this guys music. His music is upbeat, and he can really sing (although sometimes he seems to write a lot about life's woes, I still like his music). His music is doing well in Australia. Hope his music will spread more to the U.S.

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