Hozier “To Be Alone”
I discovered this in a ski video:
One of the great things about the internet is you can pursue your passion, I’m combing skiing sites incessantly, and knowing they got 48″ in Taos last week I clicked through to see what was going on. And I heard a track playing in the background which infected me. So I pulled out my iPhone and Shazamed it and lo and behold it was Hozier. You know Hozier, the guy with the international hit that all the girls liked, the sensitive guy I was overworked on and didn’t get until now.
Maybe because the iteration synched with the video was a live take and the immediacy stung me, that’s life, when it’s just lived and not premeditated. That’s what’s wrong with the modern music business, nothing sees the light of day before its time, and by that time, after they’ve added so much and streamlined it, you no longer relate to it, all the humanity has been eliminated.
If you listen to this iteration of “To Be Alone” you’ll know what it was like back in the midsixties when we discovered Clapton and the bluesbreakers. Not that Hozier exhibits Slowhand’s prowess on this track, but the soul, it’s there. Along with a dash of Cat Stevens, before he got too cute.
Check it out.
P.S. How am I supposed to find this stuff? It’s not like Hozier hasn’t been in the news, but the two tracks they promoted didn’t do it for me. There’s something radically wrong with the music business infrastructure, and it’s got nothing to do with piracy or Spotify payments. It’s become so money-focused that the music takes a back seat. We’re promoting what appeals to the head but not the heart. Music lovers don’t count. Not that I give the makers a pass. Their bitching and self-promotion turns me off. But thank god for the youngsters who’ve got enough time to dig deep and uncover this stuff. And synch it to their homemade productions. That’s right, technology is not the enemy. Remix culture is good. It raises that which deserves attention above the surface. If only we could have a weekly playlist of what we need to hear as opposed to what we’re supposed to hear. But blame corporate radio too, read this story in “Billboard” how Brandy Clark didn’t have a chance on country radio:
“Why Must Country Singles Be ‘Worked’ By Labels to be Played on Commercial Radio”
P.P.S. I’m including the studio take and the live Spotify Sessions take in this playlist. The studio version is close, but just doesn’t capture the magic. The Spotify iteration is very close. Because if you’ve got it, you can replicate it, all you need is yourself.
P.P.P.S. All you oldsters bitching that this is not new, that the lyrics are good but not spectacular…remember that the English blues cats were a sore imitation of the Delta bluesmen at first. You’ve got to start somewhere. Once again, there’s positively someone real singing this song, no machines. And this is only something music can do, only music can touch you in this way.
More like this please.
