Full Review

Elyse Saunders, Wine Down Review

Elyse Saunders is an Ontario native that has consistently followed her Country music dreams from a young age. Her determination, powerhouse vocals, engaging stage personality, and interactive charm has allowed her many successes. Her first mentor was producer/songwriter Cyril Rawson (Keith Urban, Gretchen Wilson), with whom she recorded her debut self-titled album. She has released a string of singles to Canadian radio and showcased her music during an opening spot for ACM artist Deric Ruttan in front of 10,000 attendees. Performing over 350 shows, including industry showcases like Canadian Country Music Week, Indie Week, and 2019’s Canadian Music Week with Nice Horse, Kira Isabella, and David James. After a series of songwriting trips to Nashville and working with BC producers Dan Swinimer, Paul Shatto, and David Wills, Saunders is set to release her third album. Her first single and title track from her next album, “Free,” earned over 500,000 streams on Apple Music. “Free” also marked her successful re-entry into the Canadian radio market, where it was accompanied by a new vlog series to pull the curtain back on her new direction. Saunders is now releasing her second single called “Wine Down.”

Bottom Line: “Wine Down” was co-written by Saunders on a songwriting trip in Nashville with Daryl Scott and Joey Green (“The Voice”) and represents the first single that was co-produced by David Wills (The Higgins, AJ Woodworth) and Paul Shatto (Robyn & Ryleigh, Jetty Road). “Free” and “Wine Down” are the first two singles to be released from her planned 2021 album release, which will feature additional tracks produced by Shatto, Wills, and Dan Swinimer. “Wine Down” has a video produced by Roadhouse Productions. Saunders describes how the song toke shape, “The song started with the title ‘Wine Down.’ My co-writer Daryl Scott had mentioned it to me in conversation, and I remember telling him that we had to write this song together. As soon as I heard that title, I knew that there could be a fun play on words of winding down with a glass of wine, and I really love how the title really catches you at first look. When we went into the writing session with Joey Green, I knew I wanted it to be soulful, romantic, conversational, and I imagined it having some really nice texture and pictures that would tell a story. For me, it was important to tell a story about being with the one you love and really being there with them without distractions of a phone, the news, or whatever other life distractions. It’s really about honouring your relationship, and like a glass of wine, it gets better with time.” The ballad is framed by a tasteful mix of acoustic guitars, pedal steel, piano, electric guitar, and full bass and drums. Saunders’ vocals are relaxed in rich in tone and personality. Her execution of the emotional glissandos in the chorus fits the sensual nature of the lyrics. The bridge lifts to Saunders’ upper range as she starts the build anew during the bread-down section. Her vocal fills during the cadential section is impressive. Saunders has a beautiful country voice that plays between authentic and pop, which invites a broad audience of adoring fans. That’s the short of it!