"Tonight" by Ivy Ash

 It's actually only three or so months since Ivy Ash released "Permission" though it does seem longer (in fact the gap before that was a year's length): part of that is because Ivy Ash tracks are anticipated ones & another part is that she is something of a perfectionist. Unfortunately her challenges from fibromyalgia are part of the equation too.

However she is back this Friday with "Tonight"  (and her especially detailed notes inform me that it is in A flat major at 124 bpm: facts I'm not sure I've ever shared about a song before) which in many ways is a direct continuation of the thoughts she shared last time out.

As I've noted before in relation to the work of acts like Ivy Ash or Rheo Uno, not only do you have to contend with those music lovers who tend to respond more to the sound of the song rather than the meaning of your words (which is their prerogative) but if you purvey dance music then it's even more difficult as they are distracted by their own body movements. For much dance music, that doesn't matter since the subject matter doesn't stray much beyond the subject of dance itself & the context surrounding it. In this instance, as you know, Ivy packs in a great number of references to her own humanistic interests and her songs hold messages.

This might be about beneficial healthiness (mental & physical), but she often writes about identity, self-image, self-esteem & the forces of empowerment which drive improvement in these. "Permission" touched on aspects of these & "Tonight" picks up the threads.

Given that Ivy says that: "... the lyrics were penned after reflecting on my own negative self-image growing up and the societal barriers that women face on a regular basis. Feeling repressed and angry, I just wanted to unleash a feel-good track that a young version of me would have needed to hear at the time, and I wanted to create something that others could relate to", one might hypothesise a bit more of an autobiographical slant this time, though does it really matter? Such is her compassion for others that all she really wants to do is make a beneficial engagement with them: though springing her own life, the last thing about her music is being all about her.

Setting such ideas within the framework of a positive vibe just makes a great deal of sense doesn't it?

Dance music like any other defined genres gets trapped by conventions & presumably people listen even less the more over familiar a sound gets. Despite my emphasis on Ivy's words, she also works hard on creating settings of originality too: "Tonight" features a markedly different vocal approach: possibly as far towards the calm & lower key end of the spectrum as far as the form permits. Frankly it's bogus histrionics trying to fake emotional highs which irritate me so I'm fine with this: it's more listenable & fits the words better too.

Musically the track tends towards the pared back & simple (virtues in my book) which leaves her voice (deployed in multiple shapes) to do most of the work: no bad thing again as my concern. In her previous career under her own name of Bethany Dyson, she was more of a jazz singer & in adopting this new pop persona, some of her range became less utilised. "Tonight" is certainly a step back towards showing us what she is capable of & certainly works for me.

I hope that it does well, but given its creator's intentions, to affect individuals in profound ways, though sales & streams can be measured, we probably won't discover the full impact it has.