#luke buck

[brunohofn]

🎨Luke Buck (American contemporary artist, IND)

[altrecordreviews]

Luke Buck - ‘Winter’ Single Review

If you stumble across ‘Winter’ by Luke Buck in the ‘Seasonal Jazz’ section, this soulful heartbreak ballad is unfortunately as far from Michael Buble as you can get in terms of mood. However, the overlap of piano and trumpet instrumentation which intertwines jazz and soft rock will have you ignoring the jolly tunes and sharing in the New York singer-songwriter’s woes instead.

The slow, minor piece contrasts peaceful trumpet melodies that imply a strong Christmas spirit which is diminished by lyrics as bitter as the weather (“It’s wintertime here in Brooklyn and you have left me alone again”) – all parts written by Buck and conjured from not one but two break-ups. ‘Winter’s emotive lyrics and seasonal instrumentation proves it to be prime example of how Christmas can leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths.

The mellow intro doesn’t give any hints at the raw emotion and heart-wrenching turn at the escalating middle eight when Buck and accompanying vocalist Jed Nimitz are begging for their partner not to leave. Backed by drums that switch from swung rhythms to steady rock beats at the chorus, this four and a half minute song never gets stale and keeps you emotionally invested through its entirety.

This December single follows the release of Buck’s latest EP All These Things, which was released in October 2017, and more is to come as he aims to record early 2018.