It can be said that there aren’t many songs quite as exciting as those designed to make us dance, and after a harsh year like 2020, we can all agree that the club has never felt so far away. Ronnue was taking all of this into account when getting together with Lisa G. Allen for the new single “Dance Tonight,” and it doesn’t take more than a casual listening session with the song to understand what I’m talking about. For an artist in Ronnue’s position – having dominated the conversation in his scene just a couple of years ago and consistently remaining in the press throughout the west coast underground circuit – it would have been easy to give us more of the same in “Dance Tonight,” but as one could expect of the talented singer, he didn’t do anything of the sorts here. Experimentalism has always been an influence on his style, and though these grooves aren’t anything we haven’t heard from him before, they’re certainly sounding a lot heavier than any I’ve sampled in his catalog so far. Even in a straightforward track like this one, there are no singularities to be found.
Multidimensionality is a key element in Ronnue’s modus operandi, and in this sense, you could say Lisa G. Allen is the perfect singer to join him in a single like “Dance Tonight.” Because both of them have big personalities behind the mic, neither one are particularly liberal in their application of melodic intensity to the mix. I would have liked a little more bass in the instrumental cut of the song, but in the dance mix and the radio edits, it adds to the aforementioned minimalism of the vocal component.
The acapella take on “Dance Tonight” is undeniably the most telling of the talent both of these singers have no matter what the tempo, setting, or backdrop happens to be, and if they’re able to cut a raw video of that specific rendition, I think it would go a long way towards solidifying the place Ronnue has staked for himself in the hierarchy of modern rising pop stars.
Intentionally made to be a little edgier than it needs to be but toned enough to sound smoother than any of its competitors would, “Dance Tonight” is a story of duality and another potential hit for one of Seattle’s best-undiscovered artists. If everything goes well, I’m hoping I’ll finally have the chance to catch Ronnue live in a post-pandemic concert where his talents can be properly assessed for what they’re truly worth, but if they hold the same value his studio work has been appraised at, he’s going to be a hard force to slow down as the year presses on. The Northwest music underground has been dragged asunder by numerous failings in its establishment, but thanks to the dedicated work of players like these two, I think eyes are going to refocus on the scene again soon. “Dance Tonight” is what it’s advertised to be, and that makes it a real gem for pop fanatics.
Jodi Marxbury