"Oops" (Acoustic) by Ivy Ash
Review
I was delighted last month to describe to the debut single by Ivy Ash (the new sparkling pop persona of Bethany Dyson) called "Oops".
Now its follow up is about to land among us & to some extent it will be familiar as it's an acoustic version of "Oops"
"Oops" (Acoustic) comes out on 26th March and in its own inimitable way is as compelling as its parent track. You might very well wonder, as I initially did, whether such a dance friendly song would work as well with the instrumentation stripped back to just a piano & Ivy's voice? In fact the new single is considerably more than a new mix with fewer instruments: it is actually a fundamental reimagining of "Oops" as a ballad rather than floor filler & thus it not only works just as well (entirely on its own delightful terms) but also demonstrates how robust the crafting of the song was in the first place to permit such different workings of a single composition.
A considerably slower paced rendition brings out hitherto unimagined pathos in the song, a possibly deeper look into her own feelings and allowing Ivy to utilise the warmth & intimacy of her vocalisations familiar to those who enjoyed her work in her previous incarnation. If "Oops" helped you picture yourself out on the town in Ivy's company, its acoustic sibling evokes a night in with just her (and possibly a pianist I suppose).
There has emerged a more profound truth from amidst the possibly distracting glitter of the debut & here we have an Ivy Ash manifesto beginning to take shape. A definitely accessible pop sensibility which will attract her many fans, yet offering also a layered listener experience with heart touching sentiment to be uncovered & subtle addressing of the same humane themes she has always been interested in. A multi faceted & complex talent to be precise.
