Manuel Aspidi’s new single “Let out This Light”

With a heavenly swagger, the piano purrs out a melody as rich as the autumn sunshine as Manuel Aspidi’s new single, the sophisticated “Let out This Light,” begins its simple sway. This instrumental introduction won’t last very long (no more than seventeen seconds, to be exact), but it makes a big impression on anyone who happens to be within earshot of its dreamy tones, which I would personally rank among the very best that I’ve heard in any piano-driven pop song thus far in 2019. There are no drums in the background; for that matter, there aren’t any sort of percussive elements in this track at all whatsoever (aside from some clapping towards the finish line), but that doesn’t stop our hearts from synchronizing with the loose rhythm the piano lays out for us in these first moments of “Let out This Light.” By the time that Manuel Aspidi begins to sing, we’re already in the palm of his hand and powerless against any sort of sonic advancements he’s going to make in the next four and a half minutes that follow.

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“Let out This Light” takes a bit to warm up, but once we’re into the muscular verses of the track, it’s as powerful an experience as taking in the opera is. Aspidi’s vocal complements the piano so perfectly, but there’s such a unique texture to his singing that we never question who the real star of this show is supposed to be. From the tone of his voice, we’re swept away on a soft, supple cloud far from where any of our worries could ever reach us.

He unfurls his story word by word, taking a moment to contextualize his statements when needed, but he’s to the point in everything that he’s singing. It isn’t until he finds the beautifully-matched choir in the midway portion of the song that we’re finally forced to split our attention between his emissions and those in the background. Before we know it, we’re in the climax of “Let out This Light,” and witnessing what feels like a gospel sermon transformed into sublime Italian-American R&B custom made for the modern generation of music fans.

Manuel Aspidi nails it in his latest single, and I for one think that this is his very best work to date. He’s embracing influences from well outside of his backyard here, and while he’s always had a soulfulness to his musicality, it’s never been as prominent (and proudly exploited for everything that it’s worth) as it is in “Let out This Light.” True to its title, this track is a turning point for the man behind its creation, and whether it helps to launch his career into a higher degree of exposure both at home and abroad or not, it sets a new benchmark for Aspidi and his scene just the same. This has been an amazing year for pop music, and as 2019 winds down to a close, I would highly recommend giving this man and his latest release a healthy chunk of your attention.

Mindy McCall