Here at the Send Me Your Ears studio today, we’ve been listening to the latest single from Noelle Toland. Nashville-based singer-songwriter, Toland released Limbo on January 27th 2023. We were extremely impressed with Toland’s previous submission, I Want To See You Again, and described it as a country-gospel-blues work of art, so the buzz at the Send Me Your Ears studio when we saw Toland’s name at the top of our reviews pile was electric.
Limbo tells the story of someone who feels like they’re being strung along in a relationship, and while grappling with the fear of the unknown, decides to take a stand and lay their cards out on the table. Rejection may hurt but being in a state of limbo is ultimately worse and more painful in the long term. Toland says that if something in your life has you in a holding pattern, get your boots on and hit the road. Great attitude!
Limbo fades in with dark country influences and a definite Americana feel. Some picked banjo sounds in the background and wailing steel guitar fill your ears as an almost klezmer-like mesmeric feel washes over you.
When Toland’s vocals come in, they are upfront and confident and sit high in the mix, as all good country vocals should – the focal point being the lyrics. Toland’s vocals are clear and easily discernible throughout, and there are plenty of opportunities for her to demonstrate her vocal skills her. From stops to a catchy chorus to a great country flick from chest to head voice.
We love the laid-back work on the snare, and the way the drums just force the listener to nod and smile along with the song! A hammond completes the country/gospel instrumentation and sits gently in the background filling out the sound.
We also loved the guitar solo – it made the song feel like it could have been lifted straight from a Tarantino movie – and with that in mind, we’d urge Noelle to seek out sync opportunities for this track.
Ideas from our ears
A boost centred around 130Hz could increase the warmth and thickness of the low end. A cut around 230Hz in the vocal track would reduce some boomy notes. Also, the track is in mono. Adding some stereo effects and panning etc would really help make it sound more natural to the ears. As always, these are just some ideas from our ears.
Final thoughts
Another catchy track from Noelle Toland, Limbo is a classic Americana/country track loaded with character and attitude. Highly recommended.
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