It was about time Unheard Gems took a 2020 inspired track so we are sharing the love with none other then Natalie Gelman.
2020 was an interesting year to say the very least. Gelman has a light and cheery presentation of how we have all been coping with this year, enough to last through 2022 thats for sure.
Story from Natalie about the song:
I'm a pop-folk singer songwriter but I was deep down a rabbit hole of rap music one night when I wrote this song. It started out with "Rack City" and circled back to Missy Elliot's "Work It" which I was trying to learn the reverse lyrics once and for all.
It goes without saying that 2020 has been a crazy year. I wrote this for all of us just trying to keep it together while watching shit go down this year. Most of us have been surrendering to the rollercoaster that it's been with various different vices and distractions.
Raised in the old West Village, NYC stomping ground of songwriting greats, Natalie Gelman grew up amidst artists and true bohemians. She borrowed a friends guitar at 16 and started writing songs on it immediately and began busking on subway platforms soon afterwards when she grew tired of pretending to be 21 to play clubs in the city.
Captivating tourists and straphangers alike in the subway, Natalie stopped even the most hurried commuters in their tracks with her powerful voice. She continues to play what she calls her favorite stage while also performing at the House of Blues, Webster Hall and festivals across the country.
Often compared to Sheryl Crow, Jewel and Joni Mitchell, Natalie’s music is contemporary and timeless. She writes honest, heartfelt songs - responding to current affairs and revealing parts of her inner self with the world. “Not too much about her, but somehow about me & everyone in the audience as well.”
A modern day troubadour, Natalie performs across the country tirelessly and recently completed her first 10 week European tour in support of Streetlamp Musician. An album she released with producers Charlie Midnight (James Brown) and Mark Needham (The Killers) and titled after a song she wrote about street performing and watching New York City change over time.
Review by Hannah Schneider