New Delhi based singer-songwriter Pragnya Wakhlu‘s music is an inspired blend of blues, folk-fusion and jazz driven by personal reflections & causes she feels passionately about. She collaborated with Australian guitarist Marcos Villalta for the stunning “Whale Song”. She has continued her collaboration with the talented Aussie in her latest single “Nice Guy”, and that’s what we are reviewing here.
‘Nice Guy’ , the third single from Pragnya’s forthcoming album ‘Lessons in Love’, is a fun, flirty,upbeat jazz-funk song . The song is about a woman questioning her love interest about why he’s being “too nice” and not making a move on her. “Nice Guy” is about owning all expressions of your feelings for love, including lust. It is a bold departure from the usual coy expression of love in love songs.
Pragnya Wakhlu and Marcos Villalta’s work on “Nice Guy” seems to reflect a bolder, more direct avatar of the old-fashioned grandeur of powerful romance. Just like everything else in life, actions speak louder than words in love as well.
Pragnya Wakhlu’s lyrics and vocal delivery carry a sense of humor that makes “Nice Guy” constantly feel generous, easygoing, and surprisingly gregarious for a song with naughty, sassy, sensual themes. “Nice Guy” also features a scintillating guitar solo by Australian jazz guitarist Marcos Villalta which does a great job of shifting moods and creating a new world in the listener’s mind.
If you just look at the surface, this song is essentially about a woman asking a guy to make a move and not take so long to put his carnal desires into action, especially when she herself is yearning for it.
A proverbial “just do it already man”. However, compositionally, the song is rich and profound. With stunning performances from both Wakhlu and Villalta. It’s mixed and produced very well as well, a truly wholesome composition. Rarely is art so casual and staggering simultaneously.
“Nice Guy” is truly an all you can eat buffet and you will keep coming back to it. Just don’t play the “nice guy” when it comes to hitting that replay button.
Verdict: Naughty and Nice.
