“4 Chords and the Truth” – Jamie Webster Defines An Era With New Single Something’s Gotta Give
Following the announcement of his long-awaited debut album, Jamie Webster has released his unintentionally timely single Something’s Gotta Give on Liverpool label Modern Sky.
Jamie Webster delivers here in all senses. On the surface, the track is well produced with lovely, folky guitar melodies and vocals that could be mistaken for Gerry Cinnamon on first listen. However, it’s not long before that unmistakable scouse accent captures your attention and cements Something’s Gotta Give as a Bob Dylan-esque anthem for the working class and the oppressed.
The track is a prescient call for change in a time of absolute chaos on both Anglo and American sides of the Atlantic, in the form of a beautiful acoustic performance. Webster should really be commended for his song writing here. His lyrics are clever, political and relatable; sticking up for the “dreamers” and calling out world leaders with a few insults such as ‘clowns’, ‘freak’ and ‘crooked Tories’.
Jamie Webster – Something’s Gotta Give Official Lyric Video
Unintentional may it be, Webster portrays the current state of the world perfectly through the lyrics ‘and all the pieces of chess in the middle bear the weight of the problem, divided opinions on who should go and who should remain…’ as people of BAME categorisation find themselves bearing the brunt of public displays of racism, police brutality, and a disproportionate number of deaths to covid-19.
Despite this connection in particular, the track lends itself to almost any social issue of the 21st century. This is a refreshing piece of work by the solo artist; it reeks of Liverpool nostalgia, at social unrest and neglect in the Thatcherite years, and also connects to the world as a whole. Bravo.
You can stream Jamie Webster Something’s Gotta Give on Spotify and Apple Music.
Rach Hankin
