Just Xris, a singer-songwriter from South Africa, has released his first single in the shape of ‘Mother Leah’. An acoustic number that captures ‘the essence of his experiences’, Just Xris provides a heartfelt track whilst introducing himself to a global audience.
A hugely melancholic track, ‘Mother Leah’ is by no means a bad song. The guitar playing is very tidy, using a pretty chord progression throughout whilst utilising licks to add variety into his playing and along with vocal harmonies, the introduction of the kick drum at the tail end of the song adds a necessary punch. Just Xris is undoubtedly a talented singer-songwriter, however there are some issues throughout ‘Mother Leah’.
Despite Just Xris’ vocals being solid for the most part, there are a few moments in ‘Mother Leah’ where the vocals are shaky and go off-key, whilst the overall feel of the track sits somewhere in-between edginess and commercial pop. Crying out for a full-send in either direction, the foundations are there to be built upon but unfortunately this particular track feels a little confused.
Though there are some noticeable hiccups, the emotiveness of ‘Mother Leah’ takes centre stage and allows them to float into the background. With this being his first release, Just Xris has the blanket of time to perfect his craft and reach for gold. By all means a solid debut single, the potential is there to be unleashed and I for sure hope Just Xris reaches it.
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