In a year like 2020, it seems optimism is no longer in fashion. The news caters to gloomy prophecies of some newfangled catastrophe, and social media is a hotbed for arguments instead of constructive dialogue. Refreshingly, Santa Rosa songwriter Ellie James focuses less on the world outside and more on the inner struggle, challenging the status quo in her latest single, “Better.”
A muffled rumble of toms starts us off, background vocals leeching in like a subconscious suggestion. It sounds like a small stampede gathering strength before James delivers her thesis: “I think I think too much.” Coming off of last year’s “The Afterparty," James has proven herself a cheeky, heartfelt pop songwriter with gusto to spare. Here, however, she is in full-on anthem mode. The instrumentation is almost gospel, and by the time the chorus hits, you can picture James leading a congregation hell-bent on self reinvention. Boston-based producer Bryan Fennelly deserves a round for his management of James’s vocal ability, providing just enough of a musical skeleton for her voice to really soar.
The real gift of “Better” is its honest and naked simplicity. James knows when the floor the gas and when to pull back, leaving no note out of place and no lyric overstepping. The song would sound at home in a coffeeshop songwriter night, a closing set at Glastonbury, or even a retail store. It's universal without being trite. It's powerful without being pretentious. This remains true for the lyrics as well, James delivering lines like, “How can I ask for help / When I do this to myself? / I’m hoping that I’m not broken.” The un-flowery language works in the favor of song. Instead of asking the listener to jump through the hoops of complex metaphor, we can see the suffering of the narrator with our own eyes. “There’s lights on but I’m not home / I’m busy dying in monochrome.”
It would be easy enough to compare Ellie with the double threat vocalist/songwriters of past, but multiple listens reveal a deep love of pop-anthemic acts. James could rule the stadiums as well as I’m sure she rules the songwriter’s rounds. And like those stadium acts, she's a bona fide optimist. It’s not an overstatement to say that “Better” comes at perhaps the most uncertain time in recent history. But rather than make a hackneyed political statement, James brings a gentle and loving ear to whomever needs it, laying out her own experiences while suggesting that we, too, can get better.
Listen to “Better” on Spotify and Apple Music