Every so often the planets will align for music creators, and they’ll land on something that checks the boxes. For me, “Nitelite” by Seth David Branitz could very well be in that discussion.
And good for him, by the way, since the casual music listener has no idea about the countless songs that get written, feel really good, but don’t end up going anywhere. Thus, it’s all the more reason to celebrate when a song lands as the writer and/or artist hoped it would.
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Wow. Do you want to talk about where this track – just released 13 days ago – landed with me?
The very first time I hit Play on this song, the melody and piano immediately made me think of, “To Make You Feel My Love,” which has been recorded by Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, and Adele. Talk about being in great company! Anytime you put out a single and it conjures up images of three of the greats, you’re doing quite well.
Heck, even “I Don’t Want to Talk About It” by Rod Stewart came to mind as well.
Having gotten my attention due to those similarities, I, of course stuck with “Nitelite” and my time was rewarded.
I like the little bit of guitar starting to be introduced 95 seconds in, just subtly building the track a bit (and maybe one other instrument that I heard then too?), not to mention some light background vocals around two-and-a-half minutes in. In other words, bravo to Branitz for not giving in to overproducing.
Often times on my weekly “Now Hear This Entertainment” podcast I’m heard talking with guests about the smorgasbord of plug-ins available these days and the battle to resist the urge to use them just because they exist. I admire when creators, like Branitz, can stay focused on serving the song with only what it needs, resisting what it doesn’t need. After all, more frequently than you would think, as the saying goes, less is more.
It’s sad that we’ve also become so sensitive to AI usage that we have to look longer at something these days to convince ourselves that that wasn’t the source of creation. I’d be shocked if I learned that the artwork for “Nitelite” wasn’t done by Branitz or a designer friend. It nicely supports the song and looks intriguing, as though some real thought went into it.
Branitz recorded four albums over twenty years as Seth Davis and is now releasing a single per month with his given name. It’s not easy to rebrand after having put out lots of music and I admire him for doing so. In addition, his new material explores themes of painful romance, mental illness and unfulfilled aspirations. So, I also applaud him for taking on heavy subject matter and availing himself to being vulnerable.
On “Now Hear This Entertainment” I’m often heard referring to “teaching moments,” for those in the audience who are up-and-coming songwriters, recording artists, and/or performers. Having zero ego, I hope you see in what you’ve read to this point that there are lessons aplenty to take away from “Nitelite” as well as Branitz’s efforts.
Both as a publicist and as a podcaster, I see a lot of indie artists who want to be stubborn – while not calling it that – and trying to do everything alone. They’re confusing the idea of learning from others with not needing anyone else. Meanwhile, lessons learned from a blog or a podcast are being missed.
The challenge, of course, for Branitz now, as I’ve written in past song review blogs, is the next song. As good as I’m sure “Nitelite” will do for him, it sets the bar to where the release after this one will now be compared – fair or not.
Knowing some of these factors and preparing in advance for how you will face each one are half the battle.
All that having been said, when you go and listen to “Nitelite,” I’ll be interested in your comments on social media as to if you agree with my comparisons at the outset of this blog post. Or maybe you’ll hear something different that you would liken the song to. Be sure to let me know on Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, Instagram, or even Stage32.
A Member of the Recording Academy, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years. What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to? Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.