Justine Blanchet
Hard to Love (the boy, not the song)
Justine’s latest single, “Hard to Love,” lands perfectly in the country genre, with all the tones and hooks that our synonymous with today’s hits.
The theme of the song is common one (emotionally unavailable and attractive man, versus the confidence and maturity of a woman who knows her worth) but if you can find a common phrase and make it a good hook, it’ll work like a charm - and that’s what Justine has done here. The production is solid. Great mix, vocals and tone. Nothing gets in the way of anything else. It’s got the current tones of keyboard and electronic drums, meshed in perfectly with the acoustic instruments. The vocal performance in the verse is articulate and punctuated, like her feelings. The vocals in the chorus change to a cascading melody, and then a simple melody and delivery over the hook (why you gotta make it so hard to love me?) that brings it all home. Good stuff.
On a personal note, I hate it when the second verse is shorter than the second. That does NOT happen here, thankfully. Justine and the writers have done a solid job of creating a well rounded story that doesn’t waste words, without falling prey to standard Nashville song format.
This native of Montreal has released eight singles since 2017, and has plans for her first EP to drop in 2023. When she’s not working on her own music, she’s also mentoring others interested in making this a career. She’s also worked extensively with Musical Celebration Musicale (MCM), a Canadian-based non-profit that creates performance opportunities for independent musicians. We’re looking forward to what she’ll do next - safe to say we’ll see her around town pretty soon.
Check it out now!