Review: "Masterpiece" - Conor Maynard

“It was perfect how we had it couple years ago.” This sentence paired with the immense sadness the piano conveys as this song begins puts the listener in a somber mood. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this song isn’t about a current masterpiece, but a former one. Maynard further discloses that “all the things that made it worth it started getting old.” It’s a sad fact, of course, but, sometimes, people do really and truly just grow apart. It seems as though Maynard is singing about such an instance – where the relationship seemed to be a match made in heaven, absolute perfection, but the feelings began to lessen and the compatibility ceased.

An official description for this single -“A heartfelt piano ballad that spotlights Conor's strong vocals and deep sadness. The simple piano melody sets a sad tone, letting Conor's voice stand out as he shares his emotions in every note. The song tells the story of lost love and feeling vulnerable, making it a very personal and touching experience.” In this song Conor emotes the message of sheer agony by following the melody, repeatedly driving home the point of intense and utter devastation and sadness. Conor’s voice flows through the song expertly, knowing which lines to sing softly and which require more force and rasp “Are we letting go when we’ve got no good reason?” This line is a rather strong one in the song and Conor sings it with such conviction and angst, it’s perfect for this song and that specific part in this song, making the song itself a masterpiece. “Wish that we were leaving a catastrophe. Why'd it have to be such a masterpiece?” These lines give us more of a glimpse into the almost-perfect relationship that Conor is describing to us, the listener. Although he feels that it’s “no good reason” to give up on the relationship, if the love has faded, then that is truly reason enough. It’s much better to let go if the love is no longer felt there than to hold on based off of past success and stronger feelings. 'Cause I can't bring myself to sit near your side of the couch. I know I haven't moved, it's like I'm in a different house.” All of these personal touches make the song unique to this situation, of course others can relate but Conor makes it abundantly clear who he is talking about and describes day-to-day life now without them, not wanting to be near a piece of furniture that reminds him of his former lover and feeling like the home he lives in is now somehow a different place entirely without said person. Some people get so deeply woven into your life that, in the unfortunate instance that they leave, the absence is felt on astronomical levels and it can take a long time to rebuild your life while carving them out of your psyche and making new memories without them to replace the memories of them. The choice to make the piano and Conor’s vocals the focal point of this song instrumentally was a genius decision, it allows the listener to truly feel the song in its bare bones. It’s a stripped version in the original version, I can only imagine how insane an acoustic version of this would be. Maynard has a true masterpiece on his hands.

Conor Maynard is a 31-year-old singer/songwriter from Brighton, England. Conor’s musical career was jump started by his posting covers to YouTube when the site was fresh on the scene. After his covers began to go viral and gave him notoriety in the entertainment world, Maynard was signed to Parlophone Records in 2010. Since then, Maynard has released three albums, two under Parlophone and one independently. Maynard’s social media following consists of millions of followers across all platforms. His monthly listener count on Spotify alone is up to 4,000,000 and on its way to 5,000,000. Conor’s musical style is that of the pop genre. While Conor continues to make and post covers, he has been releasing more original songs recently with “Masterpiece” being the latest offering. If “Masterpiece” is any indication, fans are in for a real treat with Maynard’s next project. Follow Conor on all of his socials below!

Written By Keiunna Thompson

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