It's been a minute since we've gotten some solo material from our boy Nicholas Ryan Gant. In fact, MAZE, his collaborative EP with Kriswontwo, will be celebrating its third anniversary this April. Since then, the vocal force has popped up here and there while working and performing with a few of his friends across the industry. 2019 will finally see Mr. Gant stepping back into a solo light, though, with new material coming our way. In fact, we've got the first taste of what to expect with the world premiere of his newest single, a cover of Crystal Waters' '90s club classic "Gyspy Woman (She's Homeless)."
When one covers such a beloved song, we always wonder why. Nicholas has a very good reason for his reimagined take on the song. "I wanted people to hear what the writer was actually saying [about] assuming things about people who have hardship or who have less than you," he told us. "It’s really poignant, still." To achieve this, he partnered with fellow SoulBounce fave DJ Applejac to reimagine the track with a more mellow vibe. Though the song goes from the club to the neo-soul lounge doesn't mean it misses a step, though. Applejac's instrumentation still captures the feel of the original while imbuing it with new musical textures that keep it rich and interesting. Nicholas, meanwhile, gives us subdued vocals with just a hint of church around the edges. Then, for added measure, he also throws in a little jazz as he scats his way through the choruses up until the song's fade out at the end. All the while, he keeps the dignity of the song's subject, imploring us to see the world through her eyes.
As we mentioned earlier, this won't be the last you hear from Nicholas Ryan Gant this year. In fact, he plans on releasing new singles until he completes his upcoming album and tells us we can expect a new project from him later in the year. You can bet we'll be on the lookout for it. Until then, you can listen to the remake of "Gypsy Woman" below and scoop up your own copy via Bandcamp.
