It seems like in the jazz and folk scene, just about everyone’s heard of Dodie, and for a while, too, but it’s only now that she’s finally dedicated herself to an album. Part of that upcoming album is this newest single, titled “Rainbow”. Truthfully, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a song so appropriately titled for a track. It begins with a beautiful guitar progression, plucked one note, one string, at a time, and soon accompanied by the soothing, delicate voice of Dodie.

The vibe already from the get go feels like the sun clearing after a storm – a rainbow slowly coloring the sky as the sunshine grows brighter. Hints of an orchestra might take the listener off guard, and halt them. “Hold on,” they would say, “is this a clarinet?” All one would have to do is wait a few more moments for the 12-piece orchestra to fully kick in, and that’s when the goosebumps hit for just about everyone, I’m sure. The moment the clarinets accentuate the minor IVth chord only to come in full blast with the rest of the orchestra is nothing but pure genius. Even Dodie’s usual subtle delivery grows quite more eccentric amidst the excitement brought by the symphony.

The arrangement is also perfect, as the song progresses, the intro chord progression played on guitar is always played alone, or with very little orchestration. The bridges are the journey outside, wandering amidst the rain with a bright smile stretched upon your cheeks, and that intro progression played in such a barebones fashion, feels like your return back home. A place where things make sense, where things are familiar. You’re not sad that the adventure is over, but you’re glad to finally be back home.

If it wasn’t obvious already, this song tugged a particular heart string in me that I’m sure is shared to every listener that fortunately stumbles upon this song. It’s a song that paints a more vivid picture than a picture ever could. It tells a loose story that is open to any listeners’ imagination, and one that I’m sure would differ between each and every member in Dodie’s audience. This is by far one of, if not the, greatest songs to be released this year, and it was gifted to us in its last moments. It’s a tool for retrospective to what might be one of the toughest years in generations, almost like a silver lining to this year’s dark, thunderous cloud. Or rather, a rainbow in the storm that was 2020.

Author: Nicholas Gaudet

Music producer and writer from Dieppe, Canada.