Written by Marilù Ciabattoni
Discovered via Musosoup
What first stroke me about Dez Rocksteady’s new single, “You Don’t Need Much (To Do A Lot),” was his sweet voice and naive-ish, bluegrass-sounding arrangement. Simple, not-demanding lyrics that everyone can understand and sing along to, an element that reminds me of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind.” However, Dez’s message doesn’t take political sides and is applicable to everyone.
A very simple chorus–repeated twice, almost identically–opens the song, when Dez sings over acoustic guitar arpeggios: “You don't need much to do a lot / You've got one life, it's all you've got / So go do whatever you want to do.” It’s a no-brainer, right?
The verses that follow this minimalistic introduction are just as easy to follow, as if Dez was talking to us listeners as intimate friends, without any embellishments. His singing technique also resembles spoken speech, which adds to this feeling of authenticity.
It’s interesting how, on social media, Dez advertises himself as a pioneer of the new age of romance; but instead, what it seems to me is that he’s reviving that very hippie idea of peace, love, and positivity–so not necessarily romantic love. “You Don’t Need Much” isn’t a love song per se, but a “feel-good” one, a tune you could sing virtually to anybody.
To some extent, it reminds me of Baloo’s song in Disney’s The Jungle Book, “The Bare Necessities,” as they both give out this lazy, carefree, living-day-by-day type of vibe. I would imagine Dez floating down the river with his guitar and just whistling the melody to himself.
In short, this song proves that Dez Rocksteady is the friend we all needed, but don’t deserve.
“You Don’t Need Much (To Do A Lot)” drops today, so go give it a listen.
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