Natalie Nicole Gilbert desperately pleads for mercy from Chris Sloan in her romantic reimagining of Adele’s Easy On Me — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
in a bold reinvention, the multi-award-winning pop-soul artist’s soaring transforms the British diva’s track into a dialogue between two weary lovers, eventually building to the emotional swell that synthesizes into a moment of emotional clarity.
“I really wanted it to feel more conversational,” Gilbert shares. “I saw room for it to take a turn like The Civil Wars’ Poison & Wine — where this argument doesn’t have to end in finality, but could maybe open a door of vulnerability and understanding, whatever the eventual outcome.”
One of the most impactful elements of this riveting production is the seemingly simple choice to accompany Gilbert and Sloan’s vocals with different instrumentation. “I chose to have the piano under my segments and the guitar under Chris’s portions, with the strings tying us both together and all the instruments in when we harmonize on the verses,” Gilbert shares. “The instruments are framing and executing the duet themselves.
“It was (producer) Robert Eibach’s idea to drop the beats out on the bridge to let that section stand on its own. Chris’s voice has such strength but is also so delicate in some phrases … I felt like the piano was too buttoned up for that sound on his solo lines; it needed to feel more ‘small venue’ … More stripped back and unplugged. At the same time, we still wanted to pay homage to Adele’s original in a way her fans could enjoy — to feel like we built on the foundation she’d already put in place.”
Based in Los Angeles, Gilbert has released 13 solo albums and 17 singles. She built her own home studio in 2005 and continues to produce and co-produce her own music. In addition to her tenure in music, Gilbert has more than 10 years in broadcast radio as a radio host and voiceover talent and has done national commercials for international brands. She has also performed as a session vocalist for the Dublin Studio Hub, and film and TV composer with Music + Pictures, whose credits include Smallville, Law and Order, The Office and many others. She recently won the LIT Talent Award for songwriting and was nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award.
Check out Easy On Me above, sample more from Natalie Nicole Gilbert below, and find her at her website, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
