The Singles Bar: Jordan Indiana Gonzalez fades gently into ‘Memory’

Welcome to The Singles Bar, a review series focused on new single and song releases.

If you really think about it, we’re nothing more than bags of bones and memories. Some are slathered with bitterness or misery, while still others are rose-pink in hue with an intoxicating aroma that instantly takes us back in time. Situated firmly in the latter category, Nashville pop purveyor Jordan Indiana Gonzalez strums right across his own heartstrings with his silky tune called “Memory.” He later untethers such emotional currency for a gooey jam session which sees him soaring even higher among the puffy cloud-scape. “When I’m alone, nothing is as it seems,” he warbles in true Ed Sheeran fashion, his tenor golden and thick.

“What do you know / Life never goes according to plan / You give it your best, never knowing what’s next,” he sings, delivering a heartwarming reassurance that none of us have a clue what we’re doing. But his phrasing is equally as soothing as it is penetrating. Through such melodic euphoria, he then underscores the universality of collecting memories as trinkets along our pathway, often becoming swept up in the past in an attempt to move on from the shattered ones. “When I’m with you, it’s like I’m in a perfect dream,” he pours on the sweet taste of romance in heavy doses. Therein lies Gonzalez’s strengths as a flighty songbird, and with “Memory,” soaked in sunny sentimentality and new-found prospects for love, he allows himself one last moment of reflection.

“If I should wake before all our lives fall into place, don’t let the memory of me fade away,” he pleads, only a drop of sorrow lacing his voice. The production, acoustic guitar rooted at the center, is deceivingly cheery for such a weighted emotional unpacking. First release of 2019, the breezy love letter also adheres to such other musical touch points as Train and John Mayer, flaky at the edges but tart inside. Don’t be fooled, however, Gonzalez has a timbre and swagger all his own.

Gonzalez’s self-titled debut LP is expected April 5.

Listen below:

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