Review: "Ghostwriter" - Rainsford

A reflection of Rainsford, aka Rainey Qualley,'s personal journey spanning romantic relationships, personal growth, and self-acceptance, is cumulated on the artist's debut album, Before Blue. Off this record comes the affecting, eloquent single, "Ghostwriter." As the title suggests, the song explores a sense of imposter syndrome, accenting lines like, "Of all the things I've done, I'm only the ghostwriter." This album merges years of Rainsford's experiences in one place. Having written most of the songs while feeling the heartbreak of a past turbulent relationship, the fully formed album has come out at a time when the artist feels emotionally distant from those events. Rainsford pulls those songs into the present after taking time away from them, hoping to honor every emotion by "blending the negative and positive experiences together.”

Weaving Indie and alternative pop sounds, Rainsford's "Ghostwriter" has an edge, subsequent of the song's pulsing production. Reverberated backing vocal tracks accentuate the clarity of the singer's lead vox, propelling the dynamic sound and depth the instrumentals give the song. Heavy percussion accompanies Rainsford's floating voice in the song's introduction, fading to a subtle ticking noise during the chorus, and back. Rainsford's voice has a crystal clear tone that shines against the textured musical backdrop of the song. Showcasing that vulnerability sets free an indulgence in unabashed creativity comes Before Blue's danceable, singable track "Ghostwriter."

Written while living in both New York and L.A., Before Blue weaves a timeline of Rainey's time spent in the bustle of these creative cities before re-familiarizing herself with her hometown in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Working with a collection of established music engineers, Rainsford collaboratively tailored her first full album of songs, handpicking production styles to suit each mood. Rainsford is a multihyphenate artist: model, actor, musician, writer, and creative director whose creativity moves across genres. Even her album ventures through a multitude of genres, not limiting her music to one classification. About working on various media, Rainsford shares that, "With those other projects it's like you’re this small piece; it can be freeing to relinquish control over to someone else, but when it comes to making music you get to complete the whole puzzle.”

Written By Azalea Withrow

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