This is exactly the sort of out-of-left-field song/artist that attracts me. Benedict is Australian and amongst her many skills (singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist) she even worked in Cell Block H, or at least as a guard in the Australian prison service. ‘Strewth!’
Benedict “saw many people in her local community suffering at the hands of a system without solid rehabilitation. Deciding to step away from her 9-5 grind, she took inspiration from these first-hand experiences, and poured them into her music. Now, she has a newfound purpose as an artist; where she strives to fight for her community and act as a voice for those who may not have one.”
“’Warzone’ shares a story of the deepest of suffering through the worst experiences. But, when you feel you cannot go on and you are drowning in torment, there will ALWAYS be a light at the end of the tunnel. There will always be an end to the suffering. All you need to do is look at yourself, love yourself, and see your true worth.” Well that’s her mantra and who am I to challenge it?
She adds, “My warzone has been many different relationships with partners, friendships, family, religion, government, my childhood. I have been on my knees through many things I thought would break me, but I¹m still standing!” She’s the sort of person you want to know more about, not a manufactured wannabe.
The song opens dramatically with a multitude of strings and has an ethereal quality. But it soon morphs into a dance track beat over which Benedict lays vocals that could be Prince. That beat then becomes what could be the exploding shells and machine gun fire of a battle and even more so when the vocals tail off to leave an even heavier exchange during the bridge.
Then it goes all religious with an ominous synth or mellotron, before heading off to the Normandy beaches for the epic final conflict.
The PR mentions Kate Bush but I don’t really hear the Bexleyheath girl. It also mentions Janis Joplin and Joan Baez as inspirations and I get that. There’s an intensity and focus about her that is relatable to both, and to Joplin in particular, and I also agree with the PR observation that it has a nostalgic 1980s quality to it. On the downside she is a little breathy in her delivery and at times sounds like a male artist singing falsetto. Oh sorry, that’s Prince, isn’t it.
Still, well worth checking out.
Warzone was released on July 31st.
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