Esco Williams
As Esco Williams releases a teaser track ahead of his new EP, Getintothis’ Shaun Ponsonby hears the soul starlet take his music to a new level.
Esco Williams has just dropped his new EP, preceded by a new track from it; Warriors.
In line with the rest of the releases from the four track Reflections, this too finds Esco in full-on soul mode. Beginning with just Esco’s voice – part defiant, part melancholy – and an acoustic guitar, the song builds to a stirring climax that harks to gospel.
The gospel influence continues with lines such as “sweet mother, surely you have some wisdom we can borrow?/On the streets our towns are falling down, no saviour to be found” not being a far cry from Mavis Staples.
Lyrically, on first listen you would be forgiven for believing that the track has more than a little in common with the kind of “we will overcome adversity on our journey”-type ballad that an X Factor winner would churn out.
However, that is a detriment to the way Cowell & Co have completely exorcised any breathing life from their generic garbage. Esco has class, and this goes much deeper, hinting at yet more beneath the surface – something that only Mr Williams knows for sure, but something that should translate and resonate with everyone.
But the brilliance of a track like this is that on top of the soulfulness, it keeps one foot firmly in “pop” territory. This is an anthemic radio hit as much as it is spiritual healing for the soul. For all the beautiful subtlety of a song like the previous Breaking Bones, it is a Warriors that will push Esco to the next level. He appears to have reached a new level of artistic maturity.
Like most of Reflections, this feels like particularly personal work, but one that is subjective enough to potentially appeal to the masses.
