Exclusive: Elaine Faye And The Big Bang Single Worth A Listen

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When you think of female soul artists you might picture Amy Winehouse, Adele or Lauren Hill, Elaine Faye and the Big Bang probably isn’t a name you’d put in there or even one that you’d recognize, but it’s one you want to put on your radar.

The band, lead by Elaine Faye (with Kyle Rector on percussion, Oliver Lee on the keyboard, Luis Munoz playing guitar, Enrique Hinojosa playing bass, and Cheyenne Melton doing back up vocals and tambourine), has been playing their unique alt soul sound at venues throughout the country for a couple of years and their fan base expands with every performance. In 2011, Music Connection Magazine named them “one of the best unsigned bands to see live.” The Pasadena Weekly said Faye’s voice is, “equally reminiscent of Amy Winehouse and India.Arie, but there is nothing derivative about her sound or style. Whether she’s covering Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” or confessing her woes with her self-empowerment anthem “Get Back Up,” the folky twist she puts on soul-pop is refreshing.”

With such a high amount of praise you may be surprised to hear that Elaine Faye and the Big Bang have yet to release an EP. Faye released her own self-titled EP in 2011, but fans haven’t had a chance to listen to what the group can do together. If you didn’t know about them before today, it is the perfect time to get to know the band because they plan to release their first EP “Fever” this fall and HTS got an exclusive first listen of their upcoming single “Not Good Enough.”

“Not Good Enough” opens with an upbeat intro that kind of sounds like it could be placed in the opening credits of an 80s teen movie (and we mean this in the best way possible, because 80s movies are awesome – “The Breakfast Club” come on). Before Faye starts singing you almost assume the voice will be very electronic and synthesized, but instead you are treated to Elaine’s rich and soulful sound. It makes for a lovely contrast.

The song will quickly get you grooving and bobbing your head, but do not be fooled “Not Good Enough,” is not a dance song. On the contrary, the song is about heartache and unrequited love. It perfectly describes how frustrating it can be to give it your all and never be good enough. There’s a line where Faye says, “she could be a model” and still not be good enough — heck she even tries to “slay a dragon” that’s a lot of dedication for one person.

This may not have been the intention, but “Not Good Enough” also captures the essence of what it’s like to date in L.A. Anyone who’s lived in Los Angeles for an extended period of time knows how treacherous the dating scene can be. (If you’ve never been to Los Angeles the running theme among people living in the city is that it’s impossible to find a decent significant other, the good ones are all taken and the rest are either extremely shallow or not what you’re looking for.)

We’re not exactly sure what the inspiration for the song really is, but we can say it is catchy and it shows off the band’s talents well.

Anyone who’s ever experienced unrequited love and enjoys soulful voices will instantly be drawn to this track.

Click to listen: Not Good Enough

 

 

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