“My Lucky Song” (SINGLE) by JoZie

If you’re going to be somebody in American pop music, you’ve got to make a big statement with your work. The first time the mainstream is introduced to your sound, the substance of the music can’t lie in one department over another; meaning, essentially, that a good singer has to have an even better beat behind them to get anyone to appreciate their primary attributes. JoZie is a new face to me and certainly offers up a new sound all her own in “My Lucky Song” this winter season, but judging from the parameters within which he puts forth the rhythm and rhyme in her all-new release, I have to say that she definitely understands the importance of first-impressions on both the mainstream and underground levels. 

The way “My Lucky Song” was constructed fits in well with more of a retro stylization of adult contemporary pop music than it does some of the more conservative-minded concept works we’ve been hearing from the emerging generation of songwriters looking to make the same kind of music JoZie is, but I wouldn’t call it old-fashioned per se. Instead, there’s a purity to the structure of this single that suggests its creator has no interest in dabbling in the chamber pop and surrealism of her peers – she’s got too much she wants to express in a conventional manner, and exploring experimental themes would only serve to stand as filler between artist and audience (in this situation, at least). I think she’s making the right choice, especially when considering the sultry hook she straddles so brilliantly in this track. 

There’s a mighty swing to the percussive componentry in “My Lucky Song” that drives home the chorus exceptionally well, but it isn’t taking away from the virtuosity of the lead vocal as a result of its stampeding presence. If anything, JoZie gets a lot of traction in the verse off of the big drumbeat she’s rumbling with here, and I would argue that she seems a bit more at ease with the pressurized arrangement than most of the other singers I’ve listened to in her scene would. She’s someone who potentially moves a little smoother with heavier compositions than she does the barebones, black and white content others would create entire personas around, and I don’t see who would view this as a bad thing in any capacity. 

JoZie’s new single is admittedly hook-driven and going against the current from a couple of different artistic angles, but you’re not likely to find another track from an up-and-coming singer/songwriter that feels like as much of an identity piece as “My Lucky Song” does right now. She’s undoubtedly being herself at the helm of this single, and best of all, she isn’t holding back from listeners simply to stay within the safe zone when it comes to putting her poetic chops on the line. Her moxie is something I want to get to know better in the next few years, and with content like this in her discography, keeping her on my radar won’t be difficult in the least. 

Timothy Ball