Jake Aldridge’s poignant and powerful country pop ‘Rather Be Me’ opens with a crashing crescendo that immediately reels you into the simplicity of its melody but the cinematics of its scale and scope. The Norfolk based singer’s got a clear penchant for song-writing, very carefully piecing together this immensely heart-warming tune that’s got the right arrangement to carry its vocal performance to the emotional heights they need to reach. While Aldridge sees himself constantly pivot and experiment, often spending time oscillating between sounds and genres, it’s clear that self-expression is a central ethos to what makes him an artist to remember. Even on ‘Rather Be Me’, he adds a sprinkle of a punchy rap verse that while at first might sound out of character, quickly becomes a memorable reprieve in the context of the song as a whole.
But on the song itself, the message is as clear and everlasting as they come. Rather Be Me is all about embracing yourself for you are, in spite of and precisely because of your imperfections and drawbacks. Self love goes a long way, and Jake Aldridge is here to remind us of that.