I've talked about Kreayshawn before. I think she's talented but took off with a single that had a pretty annoying beat. I think I even said something like, if the song had a different beat, it would be much better. Well, my speculation seems to be correct. Neon Hitch, a dance pop artist from Britain, does great covers of songs. She has a very defined style and wisely chooses songs that let her play up her performance style. She's sultry and playful without being conceited.
It makes sense that she would be drawn to "Gucci Gucci." It's a song all about standing out from the crowd and being independent. In Kreayshawn's version of the song, she's not even interested in the popular high end brands; for Neon Hitch, she doesn't need them. She's better than that.
The beat is rather beautiful. There's an aggressive--almost hollow-sounding--digital drum loop of a bass drum and a snare. The pattern (boom boom-tick, boom..boom tick) is a familiar loop for a dance song, with a little extra syncopation thrown in to give it a fresh spin.
Then there's the synth pad. It's a modulated vibraphone sound. The rotating bar that creates the distinctive vibrato of the instrument is sped up sound almost angelic. The song uses the effect conservatively, highlighting key moments of Neon Hitch's vocal either with appropriate harmonies or total silence.
Neon Hitch's interpretation of the melody is interesting. Sometimes, she raps the verses; other times, she voices them in a warm--sometimes nasally--mezzo soprano. It's effortless sounding. It repeats itself too much to be totally improvised, but that's what it sounds like. It sounds like she's making it up as she goes. Unlike a lot of artists, this approach comes across as organic, not scattered.
So who is Neon Hitch? She is a songwriter first. She's written songs for Ke$ha and 3OH!3, among other artists, while on a publishing deal with EMI. That means they hired her just to write and produce songs for artists. She's also a recording artist herself on a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. Her debut album was released in January of this year in England, though most of her attention has come from her clever covers. Listening to her "Gucci Gucci," I can see why. It's one thing to write good dance music for yourself, it's quite another to transform hits into brand new songs that could easily chart if the label pushed for it.
The song features the same kind of cursing as Kreayshawn's original, so listen at your own risk.
I really think the video adds to the whole thing. Neon Hitch sets up a table on the corner of a small park. She's giving away designer handbags that she doesn't even need. Later in the video, you find out her closet is stacked with more clothing and bags than you can imagine. She really doesn't need to bother with the basic stuff because she has the top dollar entries in the lines in her own closet. It's an original take on the boasting video and it works.
Thoughts? Sound off below.