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Monday, November 22, 2021

Doin' Her Utmost to mix pop with feeling

The new single by The Big Believe 'Doin’ My Utmost' C/W 'Hundreds' is a writing collaboration between Amanda Thompson and Daniel Wylie (of Cosmic Rough Riders fame). The Big Believe though is essentially Amanda, who writes/co-writes and performs most of the material, when she’s not busy being a Necessary Animal that is. As The Big Believe, Amanda Thompson has carved out a distinct niche fusing pop electronica with an Indie sensibility and catchy but emotional vocals.
Single cover artwork by Peter Quinnell 

The 2020 album Juggernaut provided the perfect showcase for this fusion; the single from that album, 'Tania Was A Truth Teller', was an absolute corker.
Album cover artwork by Peter Quinnell

The new single has Necessary Animals’ collaborator Fritz Catlin (23 Skidoo) at the mixing desk, Marcus Sullivan on additional guitar, and Rufus Stone on bass and percussion. While Amanda would no doubt modestly deny that The Big Believe is essentially her, the new single is very much in a groove that she has established as her own. Her promotional material stresses ‘melody’ and ‘energy,’ and these are very much what 'Doin’ My Utmost' is about. 

It’s no surprise that she’s currently getting more airplay Stateside. When it comes to intelligent pop and rock, the US had long favoured broadcasting direct and upbeat songs over the Brits’ more typical knowing introspection. The Big Believe are more than just catchy though; they want to uplift with feeling, and this single is no exception to their musical game-plan. ‘Hundreds’ does the same thing, with just a little less bounce. The Big Believe could be the next big thing. You read it here first.


'Doin' My Utmost'/'Hundreds' can be purchased/listened to via this link.

2 comments:

Keith Rodway said...

Excellent review. All points authoratively covered!

Anonymous said...

The Big Believe thank you for taking the time to listen & gift us your eloquent thoughts.