Let Go
Self-Released, 2021
9/10
The debut album from the singer-songwriter Rob Kovacs, the pianist spent a decade putting this effort together, where songs about love, desire, pain and acceptance tell the story of one relationship.
“Phade” starts the listen with a quick display of Kovacs’ mesmerizing key prowess in a contemplative setting, and “Fizzle” follows with soaring, falsetto singing accompanying the mature, melodic piano that takes help from cautious drumming.
Close to the middle, “Reach You” displays a triumphant spirit as a more forceful approach from Kovacs includes some modern indie-rock ideas, while “Interlude” spends 2 minutes enthralling us with a dreamy execution. “Here In The Future”, one of the record’s best, then blends power and melody with much sophistication.
As we near the end, “Should-Haves” leads bare, which allows Kovacs’ versatile pipes to shine, before building into a pretty pop-rock landscape, and “Bitter Memory” exits with incredible piano work amid brisk drumming and timeless songwriting dynamics.
Kovacs cut his teeth playing in coffee houses before co-founding the trio Return Of Simple. Now on his own, he proves that he’s fully capable of carrying the whole show on his own, and let’s hope it’s not another 10 years before he has more music for us, cause his piano focused approach to modern rock never out welcomes its stay.
Travels well with: Jeremy Fraites- Piano Piano; Casey Gibson- Piano Music