MEL SANSON: ‘GHOST’ REVIEW
English singer-songwriter Mel Sanson has made her first solo debut with the single Ghost. This talented performer’s track is worlds apart from her other projects, Auxesis (Rebels & Lost Souls) and Kenelis (Nobody Sees Me But You). The charismatic, badass frontwoman of Kenelis, often compared to The Pretty Reckless, is here stripped completely bare.
In her own words:
“This is Ghost. I’ve come to realise that the worst part of dying is not really death itself, but how much it hurts the ones you leave behind. The people that love us the most will hurt the most. Life’s cruel joke. I’d like this song to be a comfort to those going through the motions; it’s the hardest thing.”
The song’s structure has a wave-like feel to it; you drift in and out of different thought patterns as you listen. The introduction is slow and steady, and your mind wanders to uncharted territories before you’re brought back to the present moment by Sanson’s vocals. The ending mirrors this, with a repetitive mantra of “I know this much is true” that lulls you into a cosy security blanket before the song ends, leaving you almost startled by the silence once it fades out.
The overall performance on the record is stunning. There’s a sensitivity behind Sanson’s delivery, as though she herself knows the pain the listener is going through and treats it with tentative support. The live feel of the track isn’t just live; it feels like sitting down beside her while she pours her heart into your ears, without oversharing. If this track truly comes from the heart and soul as she says, then we have an angel walking among us.
Good music doesn’t just get put on repeat, and this track has encouraged Mel’s fans to open up and share their own stories and pain. There’s a cathartic effect for those who listen. At times, she sings from the perspective of someone already gone, acting as a melodic medium between the listener and someone they’ve lost. “A ghost will follow you, I know you’ll come through.”
There’s a morbidity to her lyrics that is masterfully balanced with comforting vocals and an intimate sound. Something so haunting yet so soothing at the same time is not an easy balance to achieve. This track can have two effects: it’s three and a half minutes of the comfort you needed, or a gentle insight into “life’s cruel joke”. One thing we do know is that when the time comes for Sanson (dark, we know), she will be more than covered with a debut that explores an unexpected, gentle yet powerful aspect of herself as an artist, rooted at the core of her being. Very few get to leave a gift like this behind.
This isn’t the type of track you’d ever hear in the charts, but the kind a listener keeps close and shares with others when they need to hear Sanson’s words the most. That is worth miles more.
Listen to Ghost below:
You can follow Mel Sanson on these links:
http://www.facebook.com/melsansonmusic
http://twitter.com/melsanson
https://www.instagram.com/melsanson/
https://www.youtube.com/c/MelSanson
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/ghost-single/1434064553