Australian native, half Irish and Filipino, Cat Thompson has occupied stages Down Under and across the globe. She fields a team of backup dancers to help present a breakneck paced show with monumental entertainment value, but equally capable of seducing audiences and listeners with genuine musical allure. She’s more than just a powerhouse young performer; Thompson is a songwriter with growing powers who has attracted attention from in-demand Los Angeles producers like Khaled, renowned for his work with international stars like Arianna Grande and Jay Sean. Her new single “Be Mine” is presumably culled from her forthcoming EP, produced by the aforementioned Khaled and his team, and follows up on the strong success of her previous single “All I Need”. “Be Mine” shows exponential growth for this performer and promises to open up her 2018 in ways she likely could have never dreamed of a short time ago.
The song opens by establishing an early melody before bringing in a groove oriented approach to complement the melodic strengths. “Be Mine”, initially, is a relatively spartan number and the writing continues to maintain a tight focus on allowing the song room to breathe and Thompson’s voice room to roam, never becoming too cluttered with instrumentation, and it results in a much more effective track than otherwise. The imaginations behind the song’s production, structure, and composition obviously understand what an effective pop song needs to win over an audience and balances those demands out with a sense of the personal that makes this song even more affecting. The arrangement develops in a dramatic, but never overwrought, way and the glossy modern production values never undercut the genuine emotion powering this song from the first. It has a vaguely theatrical air, but never so much so that it strikes a false note for listeners. Instead, it’s invested with real feeling from the first and will resonate with many.
There’s certainly quite a youthful, energetic quality to Thompson’s voice and she has excellent technical skills, but there’s a soulful ache in the heart of her tone and phrasing that makes these lyrics all the more intimate and meaningful. She’s mastered the art of dynamics, as well, modulating her voice accordingly as the song’s moods and narrative undergoes gradual, but inevitable, shifting. The song runs three minutes and twenty two seconds, but Thompson never attempts to claim the entire spotlight for herself and instead plays off the backing track with the ear of a canny, experienced musician. Cat Thompson’s new single “Be Mine” opens a new chapter in this young recording artist’s career and it’s songs like this that will continue propelling her towards global superstardom. Her talents are mammoth and the urgency behind this performance makes clear she isn’t going anywhere but upward from here. It is more than a strong successor to her previous single “All I Want” – it’s a clear sign she’s ready to up the stakes in a way she hasn’t quite experienced before and up to the challenge of making it pay off for years to come.
AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Be-Mine-Cat-Thompson/dp/B079QG7SBB
William Elgin
