Indie Light

Jessica Darrow is a Cuban-American actress and singer/songwriter from Miami, Florida. As an actress, she’s probably most well known for her role as Luisa Madrigal in Disney’s Encanto. As a musician, she recently released her debut single ‘Make It Clean’ which we’ve also reviewed, and you can click here to read more. Today, though, we will be reviewing her single ‘Surface Pressure’ which is from the Encanto soundtrack, with a special bonus review of her jazz cover of the track as well.

‘Soundtrack Version’ opens with a sonorous, trilling tone which builds and blends with a deep, electronic bass driven beat, which bleeds into the vocals, the edge of the heavier bass meshing really well with Darrow’s Contralto vocals. I love the transition from talking to singing and how it picks up as the track progresses, and how the instrumental backing becomes more high energy and intense as we go, almost becoming overwhelming, which sort of reflects what the character is going through in the song. I love the break down with the more delicate piano chords, they mirror the drip, drip dripping, but also add a softer note and it’s at this point that the vocals become just a touch more melodious, and Darrow really gets to show off her amazing voice. I love the hammering pace and build right before the second break down, where things become light and airy and sweet and hopefully, before turning again, as the track drives towards the climax. This entire song is a journey, you feel the intensity, the edge, the power of the vocalist and seriously hats off to Lin-Manuel Miranda for writing such a phenomenal song. 

‘Jazz Cover’ slows things down compared to the original, Darrow still performs the number in a lower register, but she injects a smokiness and a sultriness to her voice. The double bass created a solid beat throughout and the result is an incredible performance that adds even more emotional depth and resonance than the original. You really feel Darrow push her voice in this, give it her all and the pay off is that you feel ever single line she delivers. I’m so glad I stumbled upon it because it just overwhelms you, like good music should. I loved her vocals choices, when she went softer, and when she went heavier, a stunning balance of vocals that just blow me away. 

So that’s what I thought of Surface Pressure, a track performed by Jessica Darrow for the Encanto Soundtrack. If you wish to support the artist, you can subscribe to their YouTube channel, and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.