In her new single “Over Time,” singer/songwriter Queeva works a classic club beat with an added electricity not commonly found among modern crooners by any measurement. Although this is hardly the first occasion on which Queeva has strutted through the studio with a powerful command of the lyrics rivaling the best in the industry, there’s something a bit more relaxed in her execution here. There’s nothing in her path, and yet she reticently dances around the hook to build up the tension well beyond what we’re expecting it to be. By the time we hit the climax, the cathartic release is powered as much by the vocal as it is by the collective intensity of the band – making this single feel like a superstar anthem in every way.
URL: https://www.queevamusic.com/
The lead vocal in this song was bound to be potent in every department, and though it’s strong enough to serve as the lead for the entire mix, it isn’t overindulgent at any juncture of this performance at all. Queeva has always been pretty good about controlling her melodic output just enough to give the beat a fair share of the spotlight, but her disciplined attitude in “Over Time” could be one of the best she’s ever put on master tape. Long-term listeners who have followed her development over the last couple of years will be the best judge of this angle, but personally, I think there’s an argument to be made that she’s raising the bar for herself enormously in this release.
The arrangement for “Over Time” is a simple one that doesn’t invite a lot of bombast into the fold, and I think this was important to keep the focus on the music more than anything cosmetic (a standard in Queeva’s short but storied career, to be fair). The percussive component is made to drive the track and not any of the lyrical imagery that we’re being presented with between the beats, and although there are a couple of moments in which the track feels specifically DIY behind the board, I don’t know that this wasn’t a deliberate feature at all. This is, after all, a bit of an indie legend we’re discussing, and continuing to adhere to the standards of unblemished rebellion should be expected in these types of circumstances.
Queeva hasn’t had to face a lot of pressure with regard to the development of her crossover country sound, but from the looks of this most recent offering, I would have to say she’s nowhere near finished in her campaign at this moment in time. “Over Time” bludgeons the silence with a vitality no music enthusiast should be missing out on this autumn season, and despite a bevy of options when it comes to selecting premier new indie tunes in 2022, I don’t know that there’s another singer/songwriter in the game quite like Queeva. She has got a skill that simply isn’t teachable no matter how disciplined the pupil happens to be, and she’s making it work for her quite brilliantly here.
Jodi Marxbury