(September 12, 2021) Earlier this year we were introduced to the music of Michigan-based singer, songwriter and pianist Hannah Baiardi, and we were immediately taken back three decades, to the era when radio was filled with intelligent, musically diverse performances on the soul/jazz edge, many of which were adopted by the then-emerging smooth jazz genre.
That music is tougher to find these days, but hearing Baiardi’s new single, “Reason,” reminds us of why it struck a chord in the first place. Driven by her acoustic piano and finger-popping beat, the song’s attractively light tone slowly draws listeners into the groove. But its airiness somewhat masks a message that feels very 2021:
The struggle is real
We feel it every day
Weighing us down
Gotta really pull our weight
To find the light
To stay and fight somehow
Whether about a love gone sideways or about the drain of a too-long pandemic, “Reason” ultimately concludes that the best way to get through a rough patch is with the hand of a friend: “Just follow me when you fall.”
Baiardi’s breathy vocals work nicely with the arrangement, and deliver the kind of sophisticated, adult soul/jazz gem that doesn’t get old – even if modern radio hasn’t caught on yet.
Check out “Reason” and welcome Hannah Biardi back to SoulTracks.
By Chris Rizik
Hannah Baiardi – “Reason”
