I Will Be There

★★★★★
Katie Melua
3:56 min • Dramatico • September 16, 2013

Nick Smith reviews
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It’s hard to believe that ten years have passed since Katie Melua arrived wistfully on the scene and captured hearts with her bittersweet, affecting ballad ‘The Closest Thing To Crazy’. The first single from her sixth studio album Ketevan has the trademark soft and layered vocal, but showcases a more mature sound that featured on her last opus Secret Symphony.

Premiered at the Coronation Gala at Buckingham Palace in July, ‘I Will Be There’ is essentially a mark of respect to a resilient, protective and shrewd matriarch and provides a stunning tribute to the Queen, yet is immediately relatable to formidable mother figures everywhere,

To me, she is the one who had it planned,
To lead us all to wonderland, she always wanted us to go –

it is a tender and heart-warming ballad which is underpinned by Melua’s beautifully compassionate vibrato and an orchestral arrangement that builds majestically. There are sage lyrics from the inimitable Mike Batt, and with new collaborators Luke Batt (Mike’s son) and Toby Jepson adding fresh components, we can expect Ketevan to be a varied and confident affair and this gorgeous, symphonic soundscape could well be the linchpin.

Wherever you may be, remember,
I will be there…