Fabio Battista – Get Enough – Review

August 7, 2020

Fabio Battista: Get Enough Single Review by Mr Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

Former lead singer of Furasoul Fabio Battista has returned with a fresh cut; a track that uses one of the most exciting riddim projects of 2020. It is, of course, fyah.

Fabio Battista Get Enough, released via Groove Attack, uses DJ Densen and .MLND’s Lockdown Riddim; part of the former and Riddim Mag’s Lockdown Riddim Challenge which was launched amid the coronavirus pandemic. Both Lutan Fyah and Kenny Smyth have also released cuts on the riddim. And Battista’s stand up with them perfectly.

The riddim itself is great, combining elements of Roots with RnB/Soul. Central to its construction are keys, which at their most basic run across a bubble rhythm. But their arrangement is interspersed with more delicate and intricately arranged, almost RnB, riffs. An additional electric organ, with the vibrato turned right up, plays the roots chords with brief but delicious glissandos between them – adding another nice nod to RnB.

Guitars skank across Get Enough, with a raspy timbre probably created by playing nearer the bridge with the mid and treble on the amp turned up. But during the musical bridge they also run bending riffs, whining against Battista’s vocal. Meanwhile, the bass runs a traditional drop-beat rhythm, missing the three and working around a lightly syncopated arrangement which runs from the root of the chord, up and down again. It has a pleasing resonance and depth, and is the track’s driving force.

Get Enough’s drums are interesting. They avoid a straight one drop, as the kick accents the one and the off between the three and four. But the snare is more Roots, hitting the two and four while hi-hats focus on the one and three also. The combination of these, plus rolls at the end of some of the bars, creates an airy sound – which gives breathing space for the keys, organ and vocal lines to shine.

Densen and .MLND have also included some fleeting strings, which run long, warm notes at points. Horns put in an appearance towards the end of the track, acting as a response to the main vocal call. The backing vocals are heavily Soul, with their multi-layered harmonies, call and response duties and vowel-led notation. And the occasional sample brings in some Dub, as does a bit of heavy compression at specific moments along with reverb across Battista’s vocal. And what a vocal it is.

He has a voice more grounded in Soul than Roots: gravelly, husky and expressive. Sitting in an upper baritone more than a tenor, Battista has an intuitive style when it comes to his use of dynamics, marrying the lyrics well. His enunciation is perfect, even across fairly complex and pacey rhythmic patterns. He carries extremely good pitch; powerful breath control and his timbre is rich and compelling. Lyrically its stirring, too – as Battista laments a former love of his life who keeps coming back, even though she wronged him.

Get Enough is pure class. Elegantly arranged by Densen and .MLND, it’s a glorious fusion of Roots and RnB/Soul, with some delicate and interesting embellishments present. And Battista is glorious – full of resignation and scathing anger – yet with a touch on love still included. Brilliant.