That Girl

Ed Staal

Single Review

Written by Luke Knowles

Have you ever found yourself trapped in the position of wanting to give someone a good shake but knowing that even if you did, it wouldn’t make a difference? Well Hertfordshire based Pop/R’n’B artist Ed Staal has channeled this feeling of anguish and frustration into a groove driven, low key sucker punch of a track. Mixing a blend of bouncing bass, snappy drums and immaculately produced vocals Ed has create a spark of a song that will ignite your love of his music.

Take Plan B, Ed Sheehan, and then add a dose of Nothing But Thieves and you’l get some idea of the smooth sound of Ed’s latest release. Being the third offering from his upcoming EP, ‘Battle Scars & Broken Hearts’ it once again showcases this singer/songwriters ability to create a song that is so subtle but has a huge impact on the listener. Even as the track opens with a blend of harmonic scat and the first taste of the snapping drum line, you know right in that moment that this is a track with a touch of something special. Then as the song dives into the main structure Ed’s delicate and smooth vocals fall into your ears along with a beautifully pulsing bass line that almost snaps into place with the rhythm behind it.

This upbeat, almost frantic forward momentum that is created by the rhythm section really feeds into Ed’s narrative of a friend watching someone they care about going down the wrong oath time and time again but feeling caught in the middle of the whole thing. A nice little touch to emphasise the building frustration of the POV each verse carries its own texture and vocal delivery. The first is more calmly delivered while the second rubs some crunch to the microphone and Ed pitches his voice, in true Plan B fashion, highlighting the struggle to stay disengaged from it all. “….Dancing with the devil every time…” and “….Sick of watching you on the same rollercoaster….” These lines are just a few examples of the imagery Ed paints with his lyrics, simple and yet utterly effective.

Overall this track is a wonderful teaser for what’s to come from his EP. It also compliments and continues the strong out put of his previous two releases from the same body of work. Each one carrying something a little bit different to he one before but each one steeped in the soul and passion of Ed Staal. I will mention here my absolute favourite moment on the track is the small and brief knocking added every time the line “….That girls knocking at my door….” Again it is such a simple and small addition but adds a little bit of cheeky personality to the music that makes you warm to the song and Ed even more.

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