Ziggy Alberts
I’m Sorry
How many independent artists do you know of that have started their own label, their own book publishing house, and have multiple Gold singles? On top of that, they’ve released 6 LP’s, have over a million monthly listeners on Spotify and tour internationally? Well, here’s one, Ziggy Alberts from Australia. He’s one of those artists that has a massive, organic fan base - one of those performers that makes you say, “how have I not heard of this dude?!” If you’re a fan of Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and Ed Sheeran, this will be right up your alley. Here’s our review of his latest single “I’m Sorry” from the LP “Dancing in the Dark.”
It’s a chill start, laid back summer day vibe, just Ziggy, his acoustic and a 2nd nylon guitar part. Lyrically he takes us on a tale of remembering when two lovers met for the first time. The melody floats over top of the chord of the chord progression like a light breeze and fits perfectly. His vocal delivery is soft and aching, a slight gruff to his solid tenor tone that sells the story well. With the chorus, there’s not much of a deviation in the melody or chord structure but that’s totally fine - it fits perfectly with the lyrics. You can tell he’s swirling in his emotions and the pain that this breakup has created. For anyone who’s been through this, you know those feelings are circular and spiraling. This is a great example of how a simple song, with the right message, can be just as big as any major production.
Second verse starts with a gentle kick in the background to help pick up the intensity as the lyrics intensify the pain. The lines about crying on the couch and getting sick when he’s packing up boxes hit hard. It’s a beautiful composition that’s relatable. With the second chorus, the intensity builds with a clever use of hand claps. Very simple, very effective, keeping the focus where it should be - on the lyrics and the story.
With the bridge we get the full sonic picture of the track. Lovely backgrounds and additional percussion accompany Ziggy over a new progression that guides us through some hopefulness about a positive resolution and closure, despite the intense destruction of the relationship. Really love the mix and production of the track, just the right amounts of compression and grease. Also have to comment on opening the song with the A flat maj 7 (the 4), and building the progression around it - such a great choice that creates so much space. Lastly, the ending, perfect - subtle, simple, finishing on the tonic. Smart writing, beautifully done.
Make sure you scroll down to catch his socials, extended catalog and tour dates. Searching for Freedom is a favorite, as is Runaway. Their on the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of timing, but the vibe is all Ziggy. Judging by the picture above, you can tell he probably runs a killer 1-man show. Would be great to catch this live, too bad we have no plans to be in Europe this spring. Great stuff, Ziggy, congrats on your independent success!