GABRIELLA SALVUCCI - Peace Offering - ALBUM REVIEW

GABRIELLA SALVUCCI

Peace Offering

Pittsburgh, PA, United States

Credit - Sarina Love

Gabriella Salvucci ’s new album ‘Peace Offering’ exudes elements of indie, retro and ballad styles creating a very musically unique experience for all listeners.

‘Peace Offering’ demonstrated quite simple musical components, really zoning in on satisfying guitar chords accompanying the acapella-like verses in some places. This was the same in ‘Hopes Up’ where Gabriella showcases her vocals at the forefront of the song, delivering this rather sweet sound, emphasising this power in simplicity and elevating her angelic vocals. Gabriella is quite good at creating surprise elements in her music. There was a swift transition from guitar chords or piano runs to this sudden acapella moment, and I found this musical technique a great way to really keep the listener captivated and properly digest the meaning behind the lyrics. This is therefore not only an enjoyable tune but an appreciation of great artistic lyricism.

‘Sweet Dreams’ I thoroughly enjoyed due to the imagery and connections to the album’s artwork. The warm and welcoming colour pallet really draws upon the earthly components and simplicity in the music. This is framed well in lines which discuss how ‘the stars will rest their eyes again’ and ‘the sun will still rise’, it is clear that Gabriella has a skill for zoning in on illuminating naturalistic elements and making this suit her music comfortably.

‘Only A Fool’ and ‘Closing Night’ are my favourite tracks on the album, and this is because of the slight alteration in its style. The tracks are slightly more upbeat in the chorus, acting as a nice contrast to the more ballad-like songs on the album. There is quite an impressive variety in the atmospheres created, from more melancholic soft verses to more upbeat melodies, it is credited to her artistic abilities that one song can depict a variety of emotions.

The musical elements seem to follow a theme of alternating between a focus on the guitar and then on the piano in the more ballad styles of tracks. The deliberate minimalistic nature of the album is what makes Gabriella’s style so sweet and unique, her artistic talent lies in her naturally soothing vocals, and these subtle incorporations of instruments are what highlight this even more.

‘Mad Medussa’ and ‘lady Liberty’ were the tracks which really showed off Gabriella’s vocal abilities. Particularly in ‘Mad Medusa’ the slight touch of hymning again really draws upon these earthly and angelic themes. This makes the album very cohesive in its aesthetic as all these intricate elements return back to this warm atmosphere. With the soft vocals, the reference to naturalistic landscapes and the simplicity in the musical components, Gabriella is very gifted at creating a mellow and soothing vibe to her songs yet can somehow integrate some funky beats and high spirits which was quite enjoyable to listen to.