- Bryon Harris
Amanda Lynn - 'Without Sunshine'
Review By Matt Wong & Staff
The W.A M. Awards celebrate the year’s most outstanding independent artists from around the world in multiple genres and categories. "Best Song" and "Best Album" nominations were based on Artistry, Musicianship, Originality, Professionalism, Diversity, and Excellence. W.A.M. stands for "We Are the Music Makers.' Amanda Lynn's Song
"Without Sunshine " was the 2020 W.A.M. Award Winner for Best Song in the Roots / Americana / Bluegrass / Blues music category. Amanda also won a 2020 W.A.M. award for Best Album for "Rocket."
“Without Sunshine” begins with a beautiful cello and acoustic guitar duet. Amanda’s angelic vocals then enter as the cello drops out for the first verse. The cello pads returns in the second half of the verse as a counter line to the melody, and to drive the song towards its chorus. The instrumentation remains consistent throughout the song, yet the chorus still hits with maximum impact, and draws out emotion from the listener to help them connect with the lyrics. This is done by excellent arrangement choices, a good use of dynamics, and outstanding musicianship.
The lyrics in “Without Sunshine” are about losing someone and carrying on one day at a time. The first line in the song sets the mood with the lyric “When I wake up in the morning, it’s hard to face the day.” Further along in the first verse, Amanda conveys the emotions associated with what has happened with the lyric “I feel like a broken child, I don’t know this pain.” Despite this pain, the chorus emphasizes that “we just gotta breathe one breath at a time” and learn to “live without sunshine.”
“Without Sunshine” by Amanda Lynn is an outstanding piece of songwriting. With this song, Amanda showcases the depth of her craft as both a songwriter and vocalist. Supported by fantastic musicians, Amanda delivers a simple, yet captivating performance, and a song that is sure to hook listeners in from the first note. For digital outlets and streaming, here are Amanda's LINKS.
About Amanda Lynn & Staff
Amanda Lynn was born in Cartersville, Georgia. And these were her early memories...
“I remember I would set up a stage in the back of my Dad’s Red 1980’s Chevrolet pickup. My audiences were my stuffed animals and baby dolls, all sorted carefully in lawn chairs to view the stage perfectly. I remember using a broom or a rake as a microphone. I would spend all day in my imagination.”
From this young age, Amanda knew she had the gift (or burden) of writing songs. "I always felt like I had something to say and I was on a mission that most people around me would never understand, but I had to do it. Nothing else could ever fulfill me...And as much as I ran from writing songs, they would always seem to hunt me down and find me."
Compared to a female version of Chris Stapleton with a dash of Dolly Parton, Tom Petty, and Sturgill Simpson; Amanda Lynn breaks the traditional mold with stories of her journey through the tiny towns of Southeast. With 2019 singles "Magnolia", "Criminals", and "Music City", Rocket, is sure to be her 2020 success story.
#AmandaLynn #WithoutSunshine #IndependentMusicAwards #WAMAwards