Comparing Music: Roberta Gambarini vs Delonte Drumgold

“Sunny Side of the Street” by Roberta Gambarini and “Thicker than Water” by rum.gold

Music is a powerful medium through which human beings showcase or express their love or intense emotions. Nonetheless, the means of conveying such emotions through a song has been shifting from one generation to another also depending on the genre of the song. For instance, Jazz recordings were seemingly cheerful and subtly incorporated theatrical optimism. They wrapped metaphoric meanings and musical spontaneity in a fashion that was appreciated by the audience. Nonetheless, the contemporary R n B songs do not outrightly express the emotions, they introspectively convey deeper meaning. In view of the above, this essay provides a comparison between on the “Sunny Side of the Street” by Roberta Gambarini and “Thicker than Water” by rum.gold which got released in 2006 and 2021 respectively.

Sentiment

The sentiment of both songs is slightly different in terms of emotion, although both songs rely on optimism. The acting of Gambarini is filled with innocent naked happiness. There is no longing nor tension; just a declaration that seeing the good in this life means having to love life by making a choice. The sentiment linked with “Thicker than Water” is however different. rum.gold depicts that the love between two individuals is something stronger than life itself. Gambarini makes one feel the sunshine, whereas rum.gold makes one feel protection. One is the celebration of feeling good whilst the other one amplifies the sentiment of feeling safe. Both of them are a manifestation of a positive emotion, the jazz song leans outside and the R&B song turns inside.

Message and Lyrics Comparison

Generally, the lyrics are a reflection of how distinct the jazz music of the different periods were. Dorothy Field’s script writing for “Sunny Side of the Street” is purely poetic. For instance, crossing to the side that is sunny is a figurative language that metaphorically means the optimistic side; it informs that one ought to choose the brighter side of life as a philosophy of their living. She utilized an elegant and more so, properly structured language. On the other hand, Rum.gold is careful to use rather a conversational and direct language that is quite emotive. The lines outrightly inform about loyalty and the deep connection without the need to include metaphoric language. It is a piece of writing that sounds quite personal; as if it is an interaction between two individuals instead of a performance to a listening audience. Indeed, there is no approach that is way stronger when compared to the other; it is just a simple and a different method of conveying emotions; means that were acceptable and welcomed by audience during that era.

Music in the songs are tactful in accentuating the lyrical message. For instance, in the “Sunny Side of the Street”, the lyrics are founded on frameworks that intensifies positive energy. Its rhythm is constantly pushed forward, compelling the audience to take note of the momentum; as if the music is briskly walking towards the sunny street to enjoy the new environment. The harmony is clear as major chords are conspicuously dominant yielding a happiness sentiment. Contrastingly, “Thicker than Water” rhythm moves gradually or much slower. This is accompanied by a smooth flowing harmony that makes the audience experience emotionally expansive feeling instead of a forward moving energy. For this reason, whereas Gambarani style is tailored to lift the audience up, ru.gold music is tailored to draw the audience in.

Sound Quality

Conversely, the sound quality-the sonority, is different between the two songs. Gambarinis performance bring forth a warm sensation and subtly unpredictability from the acoustic instruments that play in real time. There is a form of musical richness that is brought forth by musicians listening and also listening to each other. More importantly, the song has the requisite texture and depth that does not seems processed. On the other hand, “Thicker than Water” incorporates a varied sound quality. The production sounds polished and more so, layered which results into synthesized elements where the outcome is a cohesive and a smooth sound. The bass is deep and the keyboard textures are tailored to fill in the space in between the vocals.

Instruments Used

The instruments used in the two songs is a reflection of their genres. For Gambarini, the band utilizes piano, tenor saxophone, bass, and drums which exemplify a small jazz combination style. Each of the instrument is offered with a chance to speak individually. For instance, the improvised solo sections are hallmarked by the use of saxophone after which the piano takes a turn to express and construe the melody. The rum.gold’s production encompass electronic bass and drums, synthesizers, and more so, keyboard layers. Seemingly, the instruments work synergistically to give a unified backdrop for the music.

Texture

In the aspect of texture, the songs are predominantly homophonic, implying that there is a clear lead melody which is backed up by instrumentation from the background. Nonetheless, within such a shared framework, the two songs somewhat feel way different. For instance, Gambarini’s performance is more polyphonic especially during the solos instrumentation and also during the transitions. There are a set of instruments that gets to respond to each other bringing forth a layered musical conversation. This is a texture that hallmarks the entire performance. On the other hand, “Thicker than Water” establishes a consistent homophonic texture, right from the commencement to completion. In this case, the vocals do the leading as the production support with minimal deviation from that style.

Vocals

In terms of the vocals, both songs are quite impressive, although they are all tailored to serve various purposes. On the one hand, Gambarini is virtuosic singer in the technical sense. Undoubtedly, her performance encompass scat singing; in this case, she replaces the words with other nonrhythmically nonsensical syllables. For this reason, her voice is akin to a horn and mimics the trumpet and saxophone solos characterizing the initial recording. Such a style embodies tactful technical skill and a perfect musical memory. Notably, her voice is expressive and playful per se. On the other hand, rum.gold fashion of vocal delivery is deliberate and seamless per se. In a nutshell, it is a voice that is laden with emotional weight to accentuate the lyrics with the requisite consistency and more so, warmth. The overarching goal was connecting and not impressing as such; for this reason, the restraint in delivery achieves this goal.

Summary

In the view of the foregoing, “Sunny Side of the Street” and “Thicker than Water” are songs that successfully communicates the intended emotions-love and optimism. Nonetheless, they adopt different styles and perfectly convey the intended expression. Conversely, Gambarini performance epitomizes affection through spontaneity, energy and musical expertise, while on the other hand, rum.gold performs through emotional directness and atmosphere. Both music are efficient in making the audience feel something tangible.