By Charlie Maybee
“In 2021, I released my song “Never Enough” as a moody, synth-heavy, electro-pop single” notes singer-songwriter Betty Reed, “While I believe the song was well produced, I always thought it would be more resonant and emotional with simply an acoustic guitar and percussion accompaniment”.
And thank goodness she followed her impulse, because the Nashville based musician has found new life for this song through deconstructing it to the bare necessities. “I decided to head back into the studio and test my theory. And I believe this acoustic version of “Never Enough” is the way the song was meant to be heard”.
There are quite a few influences that I hear swirling around in this alternative take – where the pop-centric vocals of Taylor Swift meets the raw simplicity of KT Tunstall. While there is light percussion in the background, the guitar takes center stage as the rhythmic drive of the song, which highlights the vocals in a way that allows them to become the centerpiece of the song rather than another part of a larger mix.
Reed notes that the song “is about the pull of substance abuse for those suffering with depression and anxiety. The song draws on my experiences of dealing with depression. I drink and smoke weed to ease the anxiety. Once in a while I overdo it, but luckily, I’ve never dug a hole too deep to get out of. But I can see how easy it is to get there. One drink. One toke. One pill. When you are depressed it just feels like you need more of those things to numb the pain“.
“Never Enough (Acoustic Version)” will be available on major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, Deezer, and Amazon Music on Friday, April 15, 2022. The track is also available on the Alchemical Records Multigenre Mixture playlist on Spotify.
Charlie Maybee is a dancer, musician, educator, and writer based in Charleston, South Carolina who currently teaches with the Dance Program at the College of Charleston. His primary work as an artist is with his performing collective, Polymath Performance Project, through which he makes interdisciplinary performance art that centers tap dance as the primary medium of expression and research. He also currently plays rhythm guitar for the Charleston-based punk band, Anergy, and releases music as a solo artist under the name Nox Eterna.
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