Kavita Baliga goes a different, brave, refreshing way. “Lost in the Dark,” her newest single, is a modern take on the classic 80s power ballad, a plus genre to define rock’s golden age. Composed with the cream of the crop including Grammy award-winning guitar player Michael Thompson, and 33-time Grammy award winner/nominee producer and engineer Craig Bauer, the track is both weighted with tradition and thrives with innovation.
From its opening notes, “Lost in the Dark” is a filmic journey one that channels yet asserts a contemporary resistance to the rapid-fire, throwaway soundtrack of today. The emotional anchor of the song pulls deeper each time through Baliga’s smooth, steady vocals. They are told softly, conversationally at first, before they get lifted by scorching electric guitar power chords that explode with unadulterated energy. Curtained with vibey synths and 80s throwback drum pads, trailing upon a slow-burning dynamic that won’t be rushed, the track swells toward a potent release, before riding out via one of the most frequent hallmarks of the era it is reminiscent of the fade out.
Its intention is what makes “Lost in the Dark” so unusual. It’s about reclaiming it. Baliga’s unafraid of the slow burn and structures that made the 80s ballad anthemic but she doesn’t skirt it, rather, she embraces every inch of it and elliptically contends a single that elicits joy and strength for whoever hears it. As such, she's beckoning in a new generation of hoping to rekindle a sonic that once filled up stadiums and radios around the world.
On “Lost in the Dark,” Kavita Baliga is resuscitating a tradition. And in the culture of the ephemeral single, her dedication to artistry and timeless storytelling feels alternately like a defiant act of subversion and a gift.
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