Track Review: Miriam Bryant – Finders, Keepers

Posted by: Lee Williscroft-Ferris in Music 26 April 2012 0

It has been said before, so bear with us while we run the risk of sounding incredibly tedious; we here at So So Gay love our Scandipop artists. From the legend that is Robyn through to Sophia Somajo – who we introduced last week - to the positively edible Eric Saade. And that’s without even touching on Ace of Base.

What pleases us even more is when something, or someone, truly exciting falls into our laps, like manna from heaven. Enter Miriam Bryant. English-born but raised in Sweden, 21-year-old Bryant has a very traumatic source of inspiration for her music, when – two years ago – her family home burned down. By all accounts, this spurred her on to sing and perform, aided by childhood friend – the writer and producer Victor Rådström. Whatever the impetus, we’re glad Bryant has found her voice.

Upon hearing ‘Finders, Keepers’ for the first time, you would be forgiven for asking that niggling question, ‘who does this remind me of again?’. Eventually, you may well reach the conclusion that Bryant’s voice is similar to Adele’s. Throw in a soupçon of Paloma Faith and you’re (almost) there. The track is incredibly powerful, with a fierce piano-and-strings accompaniment and über-dramatic beats. It’s almost cinematic – hence the Faith parallel. We would risk being shot down in flames by stating that where Bryant differs from Adele, however, is that her voice is edgier – in a good way.

Thematically, the track is one of defiance, the lyrics in the chorus being; ‘I’m over today, I’m over you / I’m over yesterday / Even if tomorrow comes too soon’. These, and the rest of the lyrics, are delivered powerfully and convincingly by the singer, which is what blew us away when we first heard ‘Finders, Keepers’. Someone with this level of vocal talent must not be kept under wraps. Take a peek at the unplugged version below for evidence that Bryant really is the real deal.

The charts are currently dominated by theatrical, emotive female singer-songwriters. Whether or not there is a slot just waiting to be occupied by Miriam Bryant is debatable. Regardless, on the basis of this track alone, we don’t think we’ve heard the last of this Anglo-Swedish artist.

‘Finders, Keepers’ is available for download right now from Amazon or iTunes.