image courtesy of Simon Scardanelli

Single Review of Amy Kakoura & Simon Scardanelli: “Only With the Heart”

Amy Kakoura‘s rich, warm vocals are both powerful and delicate. Hers is the voice around which this duet revolves. She’s joined by Simon Scardanelli, whose classic, unique, quirky pop rock vocal delivery adds character to the tune. Simon’s voice is instantly identifiable, off-kilter but comfortably familiar in pop and rock realms, while Amy’s is more room-filling and theatrical. As a duo, Amy and Simon produce a memorable combination on “Only With the Heart.”

The song’s softness is driven home by the strings, while its power rises and falls like an ocean’s waves. Finally, it employs one of my favorite song tricks, seeming to end then returning for another powerful minute before finally fading away. “Only With the Heart” is an uplifting song well-conceived to play that role on a soft-touch playlist, likely also suited to a self-encouragement song collection.

Looking Ahead (and Back): Simon Scardanelli

You’ve seen us review Simon repeatedly herein – initially my review of his Dr Scardo release Dog Dark Days on Day Two of the Blog‘s existance as item number three of my “Road Back to Music Journalism” series; most recently RST’s review last summer of his single “It Really Is a Pity.” Before RST’s review, back in April 2020, Simon released “God Gave You Such a Winning Smile,” an edgy, jangling, thoughtful rock anthem I had intended to review, time-permitting, though my backlog was long and growing at the time. Definitely worth a listen, too.

You may occasionally find Simon performing live by checking the “Events” tab of his Facebook page. And, proving that lockdown time isn’t always wasted time, when I checked Simon’s page I noticed a link to this trailer for The Little Prince – A Musical, a new musical adaptation by Sam Chittenden and Simon Scardanelli. Simon’s always creating; always worth keeping an eye on.

Looking Ahead: Amy Kakoura

Though the calendar is empty now, check the “Dates” tab of Amy’s website to find out about future performances. You can also keep up with her on Twitter. And you’ll find a short clip of Amy singing on the Little Prince trailer mentioned in the last paragraph above.