Naked

Freya Roy

Single Review

Vulnerability is one of those magic touches that can elevate a song you heard into one that you fall in love with. It’s also one of the key reasons that can make songwriters hold back as they find themselves getting more personal with their writing. Some may shy away from opening up fully to the world through their music, while most close their eyes, take a breath, and then pour every inch of their emotions and honesty into their songs. ‘Naked’ the latest single from Norwich based singer/songwriter Freya Roy is a pure example of a songwriter opening themselves up to their audience.

From the subtle and delicate guitar work at the opening of the track to the almost tinkling glass of Freya’s vocal performance, ‘Naked’ embodies a gentle passion and bitter sweet sadness that sits at the heart of the composition. Pulling on genres such as chilled r’n’b, jazz, and even a folky soul, the song has the ability to gently lap against your ears as you listen and paint a picturesque soundscape. This minimalistic approach in the production not only allows Freya’s vulnerability as an artist to really stand out but also allows the emotional whirlwind of feelings that come with the end of something, in this case a relationship, to soak themselves in your consciousness.

As the song moves forwards, carried by Freya’s delicate and seductive vocal line, she adds echo harmonies to help emphasis certain lines and phrases, again giving a sense of life to the song. Even as you listen the song evolves from as I stated earlier a more chilled out r’n’b vibe into a song full of jazz infused percussion and soul like vocal motifs but all the while allowing the vocal and lyrics to stay in the spot light. By doing this you can almost here Freya as she works through the emotions in the song in real time, her voice growing in depth as the Freya in the song begins to come to terms with the path she is now on. Again, this is beautifully mirrored in the music by the percussion and rhythm that is injected into the later portion of the song.

Overall, ‘Naked’ is a song that lives up to its title. It is laid bare, Freya doesn’t hide herself behind production tricks or flood her song with strings and pianos to pull a reaction from her listeners. Instead she has embraced the vulnerable nature of the song she has created and recognising that it is the vulnerability that makes the song so good, has allowed it to stand, unguarded in her music. I for one, am glad she did so. I am very much looking forward to what’s next for Freya Roy as she opens herself up even more to those who’ll listen.

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