The latest project from collaboration, Running Out of Tomorrows, is an ambitious undertaking, from concept to theme to execution, that starts out on the right foot but finds some difficulties along its way.
The Connecticut-based project, Collaborations, led by producer Vic Steffens, is an imaginative affair. Each song starts with a lyrical theme and a vague song structure, and the rest is left to the artists that collaborate on the song, allowing artists to explore areas they might not explore on their own accord to discuss the particular topics at hand. The current song is about social injustices in the world, and climate change. This topic is handled via an R&B and soul vibe that sounds familiar, warm and welcoming if a little antiquated.
The voice is split between a man and a woman, both are superb at this particular style of gospel singing, and the backing choir is fantastic as well. The words are expectedly relatable and calling for action. The song is accented by many different elements, a horn section here, a string quartet there, and an overdriven electric guitar somewhere in between. There is an abundance of musical talent all over this project. The rhythm section is also tight, groovy, and restrained.
This abundance is exactly what causes the song to lose its way every now and then, when the mix gets too crowded with things crammed right in the middle for those things to be discernible, begging for hard panning to the left and right and general streamlining. At those moments the song simply gets a little too noisy and disorienting.
A very ambitious and creative project that basically does everything right. Minus the mastering aspect that needs a pair of tweaks, this song is an excellently written, played, and sung soulful song about topics that urgently need to be discussed, because it seems we are, indeed, running out of tomorrows.
