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Canadian Stromer Hills surprised me. It isn’t an easy thing to do. I’ve listened to music of nearly every stripe for a long time and there’s not much new under the sun. Hills hails from the Calgary, Alberta area and received an early grounding in classic rock such as AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, and others, courtesy of rides in his father’s car. Music played an important role early. His eventual introduction to hip-hop and other modern music broadened Hills’ sense of the possible and listeners will soon agree that he has a natural affinity for both the traditional and modern. His new single “if u like the way i walk” isn’t tailored to a niche audience but, instead, reaches out to a larger audience.
URL: https://stromerhills.com/
“if u like the way i walk” finds its predominant groove from nearly the outset. It’s a slinky R&B influenced ride reliant on Hills’ vocal melody and spartan instrumentation. The former is rather elastic. Hills moves from an effortless glide during the verses and croons with understated soulfulness elsewhere; he makes transitioning between vocal styles sound as natural as breathing. Lyrical acumen is a great help. Hills’ song attempts to capture a “moment”, a fleeting fever of chemistry between two people unlikely to encounter each other again,
One of the song’s glaring strengths is Hills’ refusal to follow a single path. It creates a sense of tension, not over-pronounced, because you never can quite expect what he’ll do next. This highly charged state of creativity never threatens to overwhelm the audience because he smooths every over with a cool, confident style without sounding strident.
The conversational style of the lyrics doesn’t forego eloquence. Nor does the minimalist but still lovely musical backing. The bass and guitar accompanying his voice are not omnipresent. Their effects sneak up on listeners, a phrase here, a guitar stutter there, and it has a cumulative impact on the song. The production gets the guitar right. It invests the playing with genuine warmth and positions it as a virtual second vocalist answering Hills’ singing.
He structures the song in a highly entertaining fashion as well. There’s no grandstanding moment when Hills attempts to dominate the listener’s attention but, instead, a deftly orchestrated progression that seamlessly transitions from one passage into the next. Hills never bites off more than he can chew and that’s reflected in the song’s focus. You don’t hear him meandering or veering off-course.
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It shows a path forward for young popular artists such as Hills. The older music fan in me hears how he embraces classic elements every step of the way and it invigorates the song with a gravitas that you can’t give it with post-production. I also hear a contemporary voice, undeniable, and ready to meet the challenge of making music that matters – music that makes the listeners’ lives, if only for 3 minutes and change, a little more bearable than before the song began. That’s a gift and it is one that Stromer Hills possesses in an abundance.
Jennifer Munoz
