Review by Vince Leigh
Lay With Me is the latest release from Australian singer-songwriter Lorenzo Iannotti. Lorenzo’s last single, If Love Comes To Call, was a pop-rock semi-ballad that highlighted a musical sensibility founded on strong melodic hooks and direct lyrics performed with earnest intensity and obvious talent.
Lorenzo’s vocal ability is established from the get-go on this song. Unlike his previous releases, this track features the ‘rock’ element of his armoury. There’s driving piano, background chants et al, and a full band. It’s restrained and refined rock but it’s there.
Kicking off with the barebones piano and vocal combo, the instrumentation eventually expands to include a full coterie of musicians. There’s a Springsteen-like feel about the track when it takes off, which I am aware is a curious comparison to make considering Lorenzo’s voice; not the booming baritone of the boss but the high-soaring cadences of a pop tenor.
But the result can be just as satisfying. Lorenzo’s controlled zeal manages to transform what might otherwise be a histrionic marriage into a more compelling piece of mainstream fare.
Ultimately, it is these sorts of mutations that will help Lorenzo’s music stand out. Having said that, Lorenzo’s songwriting skill might be another ace up his sleeve. You’ve heard this before: well-crafted, memorable, hooky, catchy; all of these descriptors are accurate.
Stylistically, we’re venturing back and forth in time, and there’s nothing wrong with that. In fact, at times these melodic and sonic references to the past are rejuvenating: there’s a tangible feeling of honesty about the accumulated inspiration behind it all.
One would like to imagine there is a market for Lorenzo’s material that is not adjudicated on the typical tastemaker bluster, hype and PR; that his songs, this song, for example, can exist out there and find its way to the rightful listeners, the kinds for which the only criterion is a gratifying song.
