The Used Notes – “Won’t Take My Love Away From Here” – an affecting meditation
Based in Kent, England, The Used Notes is a faceless mystery project, with a revolving collective, focused on delivering powerful, soulful music to the listener. Their focus is to focus on the music and the meaning behind in an attempt to establish a deeper connection with the listener. Their latest release is “Won’t Take My Love Away From Here” – a song about love conquering death. The reports of blues-based rock and soul’s critical and commercial demise have only gotten stronger in recent times, but The Used Notes remains one of the few groups capable of offering a convincing refutation of those obituaries. After their resurrection of the Motown infused, soul structures of their previous work, “Scream”, the band repeat their authenticity magic on this brand new track. A no-frills blues and soul slow-burner that finds the resonating vocals whirling its nostalgic way through the verses and adding a calming bitter-sweetness to the choruses.
“Won’t Take My Love Away From Here” is an affecting meditation on loss through death, and the power love can have in overcoming grief. Unguarded and personal sounding, The Used Notes never descend into over-melodramatic territory.
Musically the song transits in an environment where restless creatives who cherish the past but are always moving forward, can feel at home, without the pressures of label expectations bearing down too hard on them. It is this safe musical cocoon that allows a collective like The Used Notes to flourish and bloom.
Their music always feels essential and thoroughly pondered – heartbeat percussion, resonant piano keys, pulled guitar strings, and vocals that ooze together into an emotional ferment. When the song fully kicks in, it features great understated musical atmospherics to eloquently accompany the introspective, yet poetic lyrics.
The Used Notes succeed in meeting the requisite criteria of their most direct influences and have crafted a song that is sure to appeal to those enamored by this sepia-toned heartfelt sound. It’s a bold, declarative statement that finds the group brimming with insight and deserved confidence.
“Won’t Take My Love Away From Here” is rather tightly structured, allowing listens to immediately and fully sink in to its narrative. There’s a great accessibility to this song, in what seems like a more concentrated effort at a broader appeal.
Built on a captivating beat and a propulsive lead vocal, this song is virtually begging for broader commercial appeal, and is worth any and all attention it may receive as a result. The Used Notes ensure they make music, which matches their aesthetic, and which just happens to be painstakingly well considered and recorded.
Each element is held comfortably apart and then steadily dropped in at the prime moment so that they merge confidently together building the song’s emotional impact. All of this give the band a signature sound that is soulful and gripping.
What is so interesting about The Used Notes is the connection a listener can feel with them. They might as well be playing this song directly to you, meaning every word and every note. It’s hard to recall a song this year that speaks as close to the heart as “Won’t Take My Love Away From Here” does. Clearly the music of The Used Notes has exciting new paths to follow.
