Letting any powerful voice open a track is a strong move. Wallis Bird knows that as they plant their lyrical impressions in the opening moments as best they can. The Power of the Word relies predominantly on the slow build of its instrumental works. They are deployed here not to steal the show but to support some excellent lyrical waxing. Those Janis Joplin comparisons are inevitable but do give Bird a blues-like soul to her enviably great writing.
“Woven from the fabric of your needs,” stands out as any great line should. What sticks out so frequently in The Power of a Word is, well, the power of these words. Well-thought reasonings and the utilisation of homonyms expresses a deeper understanding of the single’s subject than anything else throughout this track.
The wildcard comparison to be made for The Power of a Word is in its use of ethereal hums right in the middle of the track, which has an inkling or two of the closing notes of Born Under Punches from Talking Heads. It’s that popular approach, the wistful designs of backup singers let rip, underscoring the strong core of lyrics. Scott Walker did it on his perfect track The Seventh Seal, and it is grand to hear Bird trial it with The Power of a Word. Simple, clear-cut lyrics on the “power of a lie” and that poisonous chemical reaction. It’s smart writing, performed evidently well and produced with a good, clean and direct approach.
A strong, strong single. Over before you know it, but entertaining and serves as a tremendous introduction to the Irish singer’s work. A track of trust and all the loss and double turns that naturally come with it. The Power of a Word does well to promote upcoming album Hands, which, if its quality is anything close to this latest track, will be a fantastic and inevitably strong album that will reflect on and reproach the actions this talented songwriter is enthused about.
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