I hope there’ll always be a place for the acoustic singer-songwriter. Cafes, open mics, and even a busking spot on the street can prove vital in getting that live experience, building an artist identity, and in some cases, growing the stars of tomorrow. It took artist Victoria Fragoso many years to make the push from open mics to online releases, but now, with a 2019 debut EP under her belt, she shows no signs of stopping. This is her latest release, ‘Always’.
Victoria Fragoso – Always
Victoria Fragoso is a piano-based singer-songwriter who can lately be found playing around Washington, D.C.
‘Always’ is a love song firmly rooted in the singer-songwriter tradition, with sweet turns of phrase and sentimental arrangements.
Fragoso quickly latches on to a lyrical motif in her verses – ‘I’m not a book, but I love how you read me…I’m nothing special but I love how you treat me.’ The list of all the things she is not, reveals a deeper insecurity than is perhaps apparent from the tender melodies.
There’s more than a little influence of folk writing here, too, with the simple two-chord verses and the little flicks in Fragoso’s breathy, lilting vocals. It’s an earnest pledge to a love that ‘can’t be bought and sold’ as she concludes, ‘I’ll be yours always’.
The production is low key, led by a strumming acoustic guitar and a ringing piano riff, but there are hints of Fragoso’s orchestral training with the strings, alternating between rich legato and sprightly pizzicato. It’s an easy listen in the modern singer-songwriter tradition – artists like Christina Perri and Vanessa Carlton come to mind. Listeners in the mood for a good old-fashioned simple love song will find all their needs met here.
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Words Eden Tredwell
