There are two signs by which you can know that a pop single is something that deserves your attention. One is that it really ticks all the boxes of the “pop single rules” – that is that it really respects the set formulas of a good dance single, ballad, hip-hop or any other genre. The other is that you really can’t put your finger (or ear) to what the artist is doing; it crosses genres but it still sounds good and has all the qualities of a great single. So, it is the latter sign, or signs if you will, that we get from Hannah Rooth and her latest single ‘Never Say Much (Louder)’. Why? 

Well, Rooth comes up with a ballad that has all the qualities of such but also brings along a bit of a tempo. After all, a ballad has to be really exceptional to get the artist anywhere. It is the mastery of Grammy-nominated producer Christian Davis that makes the combination really work. Then, there are Rooth’s quite impressive vocals that are really hard to pin down.

Rooth has a voice that can remind you of a number of great singers within its four minutes or so of duration. It could be Amy Winehouse one minute, Nora Jones another, Adele the third. Actually, it could be all of three combined. It is no wonder these names come up to mind as Rooth herself lists the first two vocalists as the ones that really inspired as she was developing as a vocalist. 

And then there’s the genre of the song itself. Is it just pop? Is it Americana? Is it something else? Whatever you want to call it it works and you simply forget the genre and enjoy it. 

Based on this single, there’s much more to expect from Rooth and her music, particularly from her upcoming crowd-funded debut album Wild Hum.’But until then, there’s ‘Never Say Much (Louder)’ to enjoy. And yes, it is a ballad that you can actually play louder.

~Ljubinko

Link

"We are wrongly taught to pity those whose lives are modified by fear. And while a fear of, for example, mice may seem irrational given the great disparity in the sizes of the adversaries, it is entirely logical to fear the common house cat, a creature descended from the saber-toothed tiger and possessed of slashing claws, throat-ripping incisors, and the instincts of a serial killer. 

We should venerate the wisdom of those who decline to be sealed into an aluminum cylinder — along with two hundred persons whose distorted powers of perception have deceived them into believing that their massive steamer trunks will fit into the overhead bins — and catapulted thirty thousand feet into the stratosphere on a Journey of the Damned destined for a strip of concrete on the outskirts of Cleveland. 

And we should give credit to the driver of the car skittering along a narrow track suspended 175 feet above the dangerous depths of the Mississippi, who feared driving across the Horace Wilkinson Bridge because his own capricious hands, clamped with white knuckles to the steering wheel, may choose this day to yank the circle to the right and finally taste the freedom of the Great Void that beckons from the far side of the guardrail. 

Hannah Rooth’s ‘Never Say Much (Louder)’ confronts the completely reasonable fear of falling in love; if Love is such a great thing, why are there so many sad songs about it? But, gently coaxed by a soulmate in the passenger seat — or perhaps by blindly following a mis-calibrated GPS app — she sends her metaphysical motorcar careening through the sandbag barrier that separates rational thought from the Neverland of Attempted Love. 

Shaking, how is it I didn’t know that I’m this afraid of love / You stay here through the fear / ‘Cause lately, I’ve been melting in places I didn’t know I was frozen in / Lately I’ve been aware / That when you said that what you wanted was a best friend / You really meant it put your heart in your hands and now / I’m trying to scrape past the surface of this woman I’ve been / Always offering love, never knowing how to let it in and / Saying thank you just doesn’t feel right… 

‘Never Say Much (Louder)’ is powerfully engaging pop, with dynamic shifts that alternate piano chords and folky acoustic guitars with pulsing synths. Hannah’s voice is uniquely expressive; the emotions shape the sound.

Based in Irvine, California, Hannah Rooth is also known as one-third of Wild Hum and half of The Red Pants. The latter’s ‘Starlight Arboretum’ was guest-reviewed in these pages by Fluffy the Cat. Through her music, Hannah hopes to embolden listeners to ‘enter their darkness’ and build power in their lives. ‘Never Say Much (Louder)’ was produced by Christian Davis."

Link

Tell us a little bit about yourself. 

I care about emotional healing and social change. I grew up in a conservative religious environment in Pacific Northwest Washington, and my adult life has been a lot about coming out of that repression and identifying my own authentic relationship with myself and the world. In my work, I hope to inspire others to break through barriers of fear to create happier lives for themselves and a better world for all. 

How did you get your start in music? 

I started writing songs when I was a child; it’s always been my sacred means of emotional expression. I wrote about my absent father, about the unfathomable nature of life, about profound tenderness and idealism stemming from my romantic obsessions. I thought that my songs – much like my true inner self – would make people sad, and I hid both from the world. 

When I was eighteen I moved 3,000 miles away from a fundamentalist Christian family, fell in love with my now ex-wife, and went through a period of coming out and utterly restructuring my understanding of the world. When my ex divorced me in the winter of 2017, I felt that I was truly losing everything outside of myself. This sparked a profound reconnection to my musicality as the epicenter of my own individual existence. 

During the year and a half following that, my creative work burgeoned into my first release Wild Hum, which is an external expression of my internal resolve to develop a vulnerable, intimate relationship with myself, my loved ones, and the world at large. 

How do you describe your musical style? 

I tell my inner story with bare, poetic, cohesive lyricism and dynamic vocals reminiscent of Janis Joplin, Lana Del Rey, and Florence + the Machine. Genre-wise, it depends on the song, but I tend to call it Americana-soul or dream-pop or cinematic-rock. 

You’re releasing a new single, “Never Say Much (Louder)” on March 19th, What can you tell us about this song? 

Never Say Much is an energetic pop ballad about opening to love. It’s my highest-quality release to date, produced by Grammy-nominated producer Christian Davis of Slydoggie Productions, Interscope Records mix engineer Kyle VandeKerkhoff, and mastering specialist Joe Bozzi of Bernie Grundman Mastering Studios. 

You’ve been doing fundraising concerts for anti-racism efforts every other month. How did this idea come about and how successful has it been in creating more education and awareness? 

I had this idea around the time that resistance around the George Floyd case was erupting. I’d been doing online shows since the pandemic had started, and I thought this would be a good way to bring musicians together around a really important cause and contribute resources to anti-racist organizations like Critical Resistance. 

In terms of how successful it’s been in creating more education and awareness – that’s hard to measure, but I would say that at least 200 people have attended the events over time, and hopefully, the messages we’ve shared have touched everyone in one way or another. In terms of resources, we’ve contributed about $9000 to anti-racist work. I hope that I and the other artists involved can build on this precedent and make a bigger impact in the future. 

What’s next for your career? 

I’m focused on building my Patreon platform for the time being. I want to connect more closely with people who appreciate my music, understand what they want from me, and provide more of a service to people who listen to my work. If you’re into what I’m doing, please check out my page at patreon.com/hannahroothmusic 

What advice would you have for aspiring music artists? 

I’m not sure I consider myself in a position to give people advice haha. But since you asked, I’d just say be true to yourself, express yourself authentically, and make what you really believe in central to everything you do. Believe in yourself, follow your pleasure, take advice but stay true to what you know of yourself. 

What’s your life like outside of music? 

Well, I like to cuddle a lot. I value my relationships extremely highly- my romantic partner, my friendships, and my family. I like drinking and partying and meeting people and I’m a little bit wild. I love to explore the world, travel, and learn about systemic injustices and how I can play a part in reversing them. I love watching the Office. I love sex, pizza, therapy, and being naked outside. I’m learning to take care of myself in the ways I wasn’t cared for as a child.

~Dean Amond

Link

"Hannah Rooth’s brilliant songwriting and unique voice is back to blow us all out of the water with her latest, “Flying High (Smoking On Your Body).” The song is a dance song for happy living room vibes to get us through our first COVID winter - and hopefully our last! The song features electric vocals and bold beats in a soundscape designed to make you feel like you’re flying. Her vocals are as unique as a rainbow in the desert. Her vocal control and tone are spot on every time. This song is truly a good time, so If you’re looking to vibe it while stuck at home look no further than Hannah Rooth!"

~Maria Limon

Link

"Hannah’s honest, amazing voice captivates you right away with its inner power, so clear and vulnerable."

Tonic Grain, Hype Machine

Read More.

"The song highlights Wild Hum’s tremendous asset Hannah, whose unique vocal timbre instantly stands out."

Uranium Waves

Read More.

"The production here is perfect and Hannah’s vocals are so beautiful and very impressive."

Yellow & Black

Read More.

"the vocals are out of this world"

LeFutureWave

Read More.

Drama and pop in perfect union.

~Kevin of mp3hugger via SubmitHub

"There is this streak of voice that seems to break with each note, but which flies with ease over the emotions behind each note and each of the words in these melancholic or romantic texts."

Direct Actu

Read More.