Italian born and Manchester based singer/songwriter, Julia Bardo returns with a new single “I Wanna Feel Love” taken from her debut EP entitled “Phase”. The four track record, set to be released on March 6th by Witchita Recordings, is heavily inspired by longing, love and the swinging 60’s. In fact, “I Wanna Feel Love” feels so authentically retro, that I had to double check its release date. Yep, we are still in 2020 and Julia Bardo is doing extremely well in bringing the somewhat nostalgic female pop of the past, back into the spotlight.
There is no doubt that Bardo is a very gifted singer. Sounding like a bit rockier and edgier mixture of Gigliola Cinquetti and Anna Identici, her voice is instantly recognizable and quite unique. There are no other female singers on the UK music scene at the moment who would sound even remotely similar to her, which basically leaves her in a league of her own. She also doesn’t shy away from singing in her own native language, this again adds to her credibility. On the front of originality, Bardo emerges as an absolute winner.
Production and visualizations of “I Wanna Feel Love” are also outstanding. The video showing the singer waiting for the arrival of her perfect lover locked in some sort of an exotic retreat/Playboy mansion is stylized in the tiniest details. The clothes she wears look properly vintage, the decor is definitely from the right era, the vinyl records she holds (Wendy and Bonnie’s cult psychedelic album Genesis is from 1969) – everything looks like a set from one of Federico Fellini’s movies. Will Fry – the video director and editor Sam Harrison, created a very convincing 1960’s inspired product.
Sadly, despite Bardo’s vocal ability and the perfect framing, “I Wanna Feel Love” disappoints as a leading single. The song feels repetitive and one dimensional, like a constantly played loop. It’s not a bad track, it has the charm and surely will receive a lot of radio play, but it’s not something that will be remembered for a long periods of time. I truly hope Bardo will be given a stronger material to work with in the future*, as she has enough talent and charisma to become a household name. However, “I Wanna Feel Love” is not the breakthrough song that could catapult her into the conscience of the wilder audience.
*Editors note – Julia Bardo wrote and co-produced the song.