The Kansas City music scene has always been among the more underrated in all of the country, but Waterofelegance is looking to change that a lot sooner than later, and her new single and music video “My First Love” is evidence supporting as much. Waterofelegance has quite a moniker, but it doesn’t come off as unjustified when she’s singing to the crowd in “My First Love,” which is perhaps the most intimate song she’s released thus far. “Kiss” might have got a lot of people interested in this player, but it’s this track that has a great chance of putting her on the map.
A lot is being invested in this beat, but the percussion is surprisingly underwhelming compared to anything the melodic instrumentation is producing behind our singer. When Waterofelegance has got the microphone in her hands, it can be difficult to tell where the wisping strand of melodicism ends and the start of textural presence begins, largely because of how well-integrated the lead vocal is with the instrumental componentry in the track, but this doesn’t create a muddy foundation for the verses. Rhythm is at the center of everything in “My First Love,” and it’s guiding us closer to our leading lady with every word she sings.
This bassline is rather obstructed by the vocal in a couple of spots, but it still does a lot to provide us with some symmetry on the bottom end – none of which would have been present here without its inclusion in the mix. There’s nothing wrong with arranging a track around a singer’s style when the vocalist in question has the pipes Waterofelegance does, and with a more conservative bass element in the song, it’s all the easier for us to appreciate what she’s working with as a crooner.
Don’t count on seeing a lot more of Waterofelegance in the KC underground she’s coming to rule over this fall; if I were the wagering type, I would stack the chips on her breaking into the mainstream market a lot sooner than some of her peers will. There’s just too much honesty in her voice, too much of a direct poetic link between her audience and her heart in a song like “My First Love” to ignore the potential she’s going to keep having as she continues to record and refine her skills, and with this release, she makes it known that the sky really is her limit.
