Originally published November 7 2020.
After a nine-month hiatus, Angelina finally released her first labeled single “Million Miles” on Friday.
Is Angelina Jordan expanding her fan base?
The song takes the form of mainstream pop to the surprise of many fans who are expecting a piece more in line with her artistic lineage. The choice of style seems to be on purpose. She may wish to get her message across to a much wider audience than her fan base.
Emotional roller coaster
Million Miles is nevertheless an exquisitely crafted piano ballad, with very subdued string in the background to amplify the atmosphere. The arrangement is tight and meticulous. There is no buildup or letup, the audience is catapulted into the emotional roller coaster at the first sentence and given no reprieve until the last note.
A hint of Adele
The vocal profile bears a striking resemblance to her cover of “Someone Like You”, no wonder a few reactors picked up a hint of Adele.
In the song, we hear her signature breathy tone and shallow vibrato, as well as well placed and superbly executed runs. We also hear her deftly deploying vocal fry to effect the “choking up” sensation.
Her approach to high note is mostly very ethereal head voice (i.e. in the chorus “we are million miles apart”), which never fails to tear at our heartstrings.
Soul stirring piece
There are a handful of pieces in her repertoire that can be described as “soul stirring”, this beautiful song eclipses all of them.
I had tears streaming down my face only about 30 seconds into it. Being a middle-aged man toughened by hard times and personal losses, I have built a supposedly impenetrable wall around my heart.
Along came this innocent girl with melancholic expression and penetrating gaze on the cover photo, whose haunting voice cut through my defence like a knife through butter, and turned me into an emotional wreck in a few minutes.
It felt as if her voice laid bare all the scars on my soul and caressed each one of them. It’s an overwhelming feeling, but at the same time cathartic and comforting.
An anthem for all who have lost loved ones
The emotional tidal wave that swept me away is in no small part due to the incredibly touching lyrics. We have had a taste of her song-writing prowess in her previous originals, but this one is at a different level altogether. It will become an anthem for all who have lost loved ones, especially in this eventful year.
As long as we treasure their memories, they will always be close to our hearts.