A sensational song made better by collaboration. That’s the best-case scenario for any cover or on-stage overlap. Sam Fender and Olivia Dean offer just that with Rein Me In. Both offered exceptional albums this year, with People Watching a staggering, heartfelt continuation of the northern rock and The Art of Loving a sincere and honest adaptation of lounge-like charms. What is crucial for this overlap between the Geordie star and heartfelt singer-songwriter is finding a balance which suits their vocals. Rein Me In does just that for the pair, a new version of a modern classic which benefits from that extra voice. It’s the same quality Fender found with Holly Humberstone on their duet of Seventeen Going Under. It seems the People Watching hit has found a wider resonance, though not because of the collaborating artists. Humberstone and Dean offer the songs a soulful touch, a refined quality few can give to Fender’s music. Just listen to Rick Astley’s rendition for an example of that.
Loving the song and living the emotional story within is a whole different project. Astley’s version may show a wonderful interest in the story, but it’s Humberstone who brings out the lived-in side of it. Dean, too, does this on Rein Me In. It’s not just dependent on the understanding of this story but the vocal quality a new voice can bring to the song. On the surface, that’s all that matters. Finding a voice which can pair with Fender’s unique songwriting charms and lighter, pop-like instrumental touch. Hard it may be to improve on the qualities of an established song, Dean and Fender succeed because they change very little. All they do here is add a backing vocal. It’s an extra layer which makes all the difference. A sound which they tested on stage before releasing the studio version. Rein Me In featuring Dean was hardly going to be scrapped due to lukewarm audience receptions, and her performance rightly received rapturous applause and is now, for many, a preferred version of the song.
Crucial to that is how little is changed. Dean has a wonderful voice and a passionate recording history behind her. That pairs well with the already heartfelt structure of Rein Me In, a song where the reflective tone of Fender’s best songs is driven that much deeper, into darker territories than his preceding albums. It’s a bold move to push even further into that when some were crying out for instrumental change, but it works brilliantly. Pair that with Dean, and a new depth is found, a deeper study of those old haunts and the memories served up in those pubs and shops from your hometown. Charm is a big part of it too, with all those reflections on where you come from, and where you’re headed, brought together with a light percussion and acoustic sway.
It’s that sentimentality which Fender has captured. But he goes beyond that with the earnestness embedded in his performance. We take for granted the lives put on the line in song, because so few of them feel sincere. Fender manages to bring about, once again, a charm through truth. Adding Dean into that mix is an invitation the Spit of You hitmaker offered to audiences. They’re not allowed into the recording studio, naturally, but they’re given the same openness Dean is offered here. It makes a real difference to Rein Me In, a song which asks to be released, to be freed of those hangups from a memory so far behind it feels like a different life.
