Ava Della Pietra’s unchecked meteoric rise from the New York City area and Broadway credits toward even broader pop stardom is the stuff of legend. She’s solidified her claim to being one of the modern pop scene’s most promising singer/songwriters with a rapidly expanding following numbering nearly half a million social media followers. Della Pietra has translated that following into over 3.1 million YouTube views and counting and over 3.2 million streams.
Her multi-instrumental talents are the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Della Pietra is a songwriting machine with over 130 original compositions to her credits, over 30 of which she composed at her Long Island home during the COVID-19 quarantine. Her latest single “talk it out” and its music video are her latest forays into the songwriting arena and do more than merely match the same lofty standards set by her earlier releases. “talk it out” illustrates her continuing growth on virtually every front and should be a smashing success for this young and gifted artist.
The song simmers from the outset. It opens with sparse keyboard accompaniment and Della Pietra’s voice before staccato guitar and percussion join the fray. Della Pietra’s lyrics indulge in light scene setting before during the early lines before the arrangement hits full gear with the chorus. Building “talk it out” through accumulation rather than showing all its cards at once fosters a sense of anticipation for listeners that makes the first refrain all the more memorable.
Della Pietra’s lyrics stand out. She doesn’t succumb to self-indulgence with ill-advised stabs at poetry but, instead, adopts a conversational thrust and plain-spoken language. It puts the song’s situation up in a listener’s face without ever overwhelming them. She makes another shrewd move by pulling back on the song’s firepower during the bridge and it creates a contrast that makes the final pass through the chorus even more impactful.
The song’s video packs the same energy level. The plethora of jump cuts never risks reducing the clip to a hodgepodge of disconnected visuals. Evocative colors abound throughout the footage while Della Pietra remains the undoubted center of the video and the performance passages included in the clip offer viewers a fair representation of her onstage presence. The camera, without question, loves Della Pietra. It’s wise to keep the focus on her.
It’s wise to keep an eye on Della Pietra, as well. This prodigiously talented performer, composer, and singer has already put an indelible stamp on the modern pop world. A song such as “talk it out” tightens her claim to being one of the most compelling newcomers in popular music today. She has a slender discography right now, but she doesn’t rest, and we’ll soon be discussing a legacy to come. Della Pietra has all of the essentials.
Many of those essentials are on display with “talk it out”. You’ll likely come away from this song, however, with the feeling that we’ve yet to hear the full range of her abilities. It should make the coming years interesting, but “talk it out” is nonetheless a winner and demands your full attention.
Garth Thomas