East of Eli - Child's Play

Funk. Groove. A chorus that grabs you and doesn't let go. East of Eli (Nathan West) has created a song about first love and all the emotions that go along with it. A time in our lives that we have all experienced trepidation and a mass of confusion that leads up to understanding what we are feeling. The pre-chorus is the perfect build up to an amazingly well crafted chorus that just swells and takes over everything. The song has the perfect blend of funk and pop to make it this super crazy song about love. West confides "the reason behind the song was to help my son navigate the next five years of his life as he winces ever closer to the 'coming of age' years in his life. I felt sharing my experience would give him much needed insight and perspective on what he may expect and also let him know he has someone on his side that can relate to on his own journey”. Not only does wife Chyler Leigh provide amazing background vocals on the song she has a spoken part where she asks West if he loves her and it becomes this perfect pause that slows the song down just enough to give it a sultry feel that leads into Nathan's rap that is the perfect puzzle piece in this song. There is no wasted energy in this song, everything is done for a reason and it's done beautifully.

This is a perfect combination of everything that makes pop music great. It's got such amazing mainstream sensibilities that should have it blaring on every pop station on the dial as well as many guest spots in as many TV shows as possible (Looking at you Stanvers shippers). I've listened to this song at least 20 times in a row so I can hear every nuance because every time you listen to it you hear something different. Nathan has an incredible voice and it never feels overworked or overpowered in the song. He has another song on Soundcloud called "Nowhere" and it's gorgeous. I don't know why I haven't heard about East of Eli before now. He should be a major player in the pop market today because his songs are perfect for the demographic and perfect for anyone that loves good pop music.