iRO’s ‘Lonely’ is a soul-stirring, deeply spiritual, healing listen.
Singer-songwriter iRO (Ori Rakib), who has featured with artists like Macklemore and Alok, takes a confident stride forward in his beautiful music journey. He’s just released his debut full-length album ‘White Roses’ and its standout track “Lonely” is one that shines through like a ray of light through a pitch-dark room.
Crafted out of his own healing from a devastating phase, iRO’s performance of this track feels nothing short of transcendental. It all begins with a gentle, purposeful guitar arrangement paired with his intensely evocative vocalizations. You can’t help but want to close your eyes, take a deep breath, and drift into the soundscape. The lyrics are simple yet deeply personal as he recounts those loving moments of bliss and how it all came crashing down, leaving an unimaginable void within. ‘Im feeling lonely, ‘ just a few words, but they’re sung with such deep emotional angst.
Adding, or rather, enhancing the track’s heavy emotional quotient is the minimal yet sublime instrumentation and vocal layerings. Not a moment of this opus feels awry. Its expert composition and production deliver a cinematic, larger-than-life experience that feels more like an immersive sound healing meditation.
‘Lonely’ evokes a range of compelling emotions. It speaks volumes of iRO’s growth as an artist to be able to transmute the pain and suffering he felt from a heartbreak into something so profound and moving. This would be an ideal score for a contemporary dance composition. You can imagine the performer gliding, twisting, turning, and expressing themselves through movement in a majestic way.
