Colorful and confident, Chandra’s ‘I’ll Be There’ is a terrific piece of alternative rock with juicy riffs and juicier tones.
Based in Bristol, Chandra is a singer and songwriter whose exquisite vocal control and tight deliveries always come across in his songs, based mostly on jangly rock tropes that are at once enjoyable, easy, and accessible, but with a distinct taste and vision, his songs never seem one dimensional or bland, and ‘I’ll Be There’ as an all too recent example.
From the first moment, with a deceptive bass riff that starts the tune, sounding familiar in its thick overdriven tone, before Chandra soon enough takes the song into a Puddle of Mudd-meets- Green Day-meets-Travis kind of vibe. With weighty, warm production channeling the former, catchy hooks and colorful visuals channeling the middle, and endlessly compelling melodies channeling the latter.
The upbeat performances by the band on the solid color backgrounds in the video lend the song a certain lightness that matches the uplifting lyrics about those who feel like adding a positive value to the world but also feel unable to do so, and how Chandra will be there for them to cheer them on.
The sweet chorus with its restrained rhythm guitar strums, and the terrific lead guitar solo that comes after a vocal eruption that heightens the mood, making an already epically performed solo even more impactful, are just two of the things that make Chandra ‘I’ll Be There’ a gratifying musical journey. Along with the video, the words, and the rich production by Chandra himself and Aaron Short and we end up with a wonderful release of balanced alternative rock with upbeat undertones.
