Where is the music world going? Who will emerge as the next generation of top flight performers and bands? What will come into fashion and then fall out again? These are the sorts of questions serious music heads often ponder and sometimes the answers are far from clear. One thing I am certain of, however, is that there will always be a place in popular music for acts like Wild Fire. A big reason is because they blend a contemporary sound with a rock solid understanding of songwriting and the eternal values that draw listeners in. They certainly aren’t short on melody. They play and sing with a natural grace in this area that sets them far apart from many of their peers and contemporaries.
WILD FIRE URL: https://wildfiresings.com/
It is little wonder. Kayla and Kelli Iutzwig are musical artists groomed for success. Their new single release “Damaged (But We Still Work)” is the predictable outcome of what happens when two musical prodigies are natured from a very early age to capitalize on their abundant gifts and, as they get older, take the reins themselves and expand their reach in an exponential fashion. They are also learning faster and faster how to incorporate their personalities and the full breadth of their concerns into the songs. This track takes a heartfelt look at the toll exacted by watching the procession of celebrities and social media figures whose influence compels so many to attempt emulating them and, when they fall short, feeling lesser for failing in their effort. It’s a message many need to hear and heed.
SMART URL: https://smarturl.it/wildfire_damaged
They package it in a well-rounded musical attack featuring guitar, synthesizer, and drums. The mid-tempo pace of the performance envelops you from the beginning, inviting you deeper in, and the peaks and valleys of the performance illustrate their thorough understand of how dynamics can shape a performer’s response to the song. The song’s duration is tailored to hold your attention but never tax it and there are no instrumental interludes crouched within the composition showcasing anyone else but the sisters. This is their showcase.
The vocal proves it. The lead never pushes on listeners, always taking its time, feeling every word and putting full commitment into each syllable. There are some effective harmonies contained in the track as well, but those serve to punctuate the larger performance. They sing like they have lived this lyric and there’s no reason to question that isn’t true. The possible autobiographical nature of the performance, however, doesn’t matter. If it isn’t autobiographical in anyway, they prove they understand how to place themselves in other’s lives and that possible aspect of their talent is another marker of their emerging greatness.
Let’s keep watching this duo. As the old cliché goes, they are going place. Wild Fire are content to pursue a time-tested genre during this performance, polished pop with a singer/songwriter edge inspired by country music, but they are also capable of appealing to a wide audience. Moreover, there’s every indication they have the talent to stretch into new areas during the future.
Jodi Marxbury