This is going to be a more complicated review – because Alfon Woods’ Ibrahim was a striking and bold submission, based on a conflict of religious beliefs provoked by the impact of war. I’ve heard a lot of attempts by up-and-coming artists to tackle big, emotionally provocative subjects as a shortcut to implementing depth into lyrics, so I was keen to attempt to review this with two points of focus; Do the lyrics achieve this goal without feeling contrived, and does the song work beyond the meaning of the words.

In the minority of our submission queue, Ibrahim is an incredibly raw track, with acoustic guitar delicately accompanying a soft vocal lead. Dynamically, the track is fairly consistent throughout, yet I found enough depth in the lyrics and vocal performance to not feel disconnected at any point. Produced with a clear aim of focusing your attention on the words and meaning, everything felt very intentional and well executed.

The first listen I knew the song had religious connotations, that much was clear. I understood the conflict of religion, feeling a disconnect between the beliefs and the reality of your situation. However, the full meaning, the missile in a wartorn environment and being left asking why your god would abandon you, took a second listen and a read up. Now, I’ve never been trapped under rubble or seen my world destroyed, but I have gone through my own conflicts of belief and self-discovery, so found common ground with this track and felt it very relatable.

Sonically, the guitar is recorded and performed perfectly. It’s subtle and serves its purpose to support the vocals. The vocals are the heart and soul of the track, and when singing a song with strong links to religion, it manages to achieve a level of grandeur that, at points, felt like someone singing at the top of their voice in a large church. The utilisation of multiple vocal tracks towards the end of the song offers a perfect crescendo in dynamics.

I believe despite the vulnerability of the vocals, and emotional lyrics, Alfon Woods first single is a somewhat safe play. The production is minimal - and rightfully so. But there wasn’t any danger in production choices, instead they serviced the song well. Ibrahim was also released as an acapella recording, an interesting decision when the song stands so raw already. I am very intrigued to see what the next step is for musician-and-producer Alfon Woods. I hope it’s a song as bold and emotionally charged as Ibrahim, but perhaps something that takes more risks and attacks a higher dynamic level.

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