NEMA’s Songwriter of the Year Sarah King drops her double-sided single, “Always an Almost” and “You Were Wrong About Me,” produced and arranged by Grammy-award winning engineer and producer David Baron (The Lumineers, Lana Del Rey, Lenny Kravitz, Michael Jackson, and Shawn Mendes.)
Speaking about the new release, King says, “‘Always An Almost’ and ‘You Were Wrong About Me’’ both reflect on past situations where I felt like I missed something but realize now it’s better it didn’t work out the way I thought it should. So many times, in our lives we’re hurt or frustrated by things not going the way we want, and I think we can all relate to those moments. Whether you’re looking back and realizing you were totally strong enough to leave something that wasn’t working, or you’re looking back saying ‘I told you so!’ to someone who didn’t believe in you, these songs are here for you.”
“Always an Almost,” the A-track, rolls out on Americana dipped in blues guitars riding a luscious, syncopated rhythm, giving the tune a mid-tempo, sinuous flow. King’s voice oozes poignant timbres, imbuing the lyrics with tones like Velveeta – creamy and oh-so sumptuous.
“Almost thought I couldn’t let go / But the pain’s how you grow / It gets better I know / Always an almost.”
As King finished recording the song, tears streamed down her cheeks. The song reminded her that she’d been so lost in her relationship with her first husband that she didn’t pursue her career as a musician, and all the feelings about being in the studio, recording that song, as a full-time musician, years after his death, just came pouring out.
“You Were Wrong About Me” was inspired by a music venue that denied King the opportunity to perform before even listening to her music, a callous brush-off. Vexed, King wrote the song in ten minutes.
Dripping with dark, bluesy rock muscle, “You Were Wrong About Me” travels on smoldering, potent layers of sound as King’s snarling vocals infuse the lyrics with wicked savors.
“Don’t need your permission now / Didn’t want it anyhow / Live my life the way I please / You’ll never be the boss of me.”
Strutting her crème de la crème voice, with “Always an Almost” and “You Were Wrong About Me,” Sarah King delivers the goods.