SOPHIA SCOTT

                                                             "Lipstick On You" 

                                                              Empire Nashville

When an artist ambitiously pumps out their newest creations at a rapid pace, there’s an air of confidence that they wrap around the fact that the song’s immediate impact on the listener is more than enough to sustain its longevity.

Sophia Scott absolutely walks well within those confident lines.

Within weeks of dropping the sultry, up-tempo “Boots, Jeans, and Jesus,” she now returns with her newest release, “Lipstick On You.”

The song, co-written by Scott with Adam Yaron, Blake Hubbard, Zack Dyer, Jarrod Ingram, and Malia Civetz, delivers a sway along, mid-tempo flare that’s right at home for Scott as she floats her stellar voice atop the melody, balancing it between crisp and clean with raspy and heartbroken, as she moves through a sonic style that borrows as much flavor from modern country as it does a throwback tilt to the vibrant Motown era.

When an ex comes back into the picture via a phone call during the opening lines of the song where he tells her that he’s swinging by to grab his guitar, a stir of emotions begins to arise within her as she white lie tells him that she’s doing okay when in reality she’s got mascara streamed to her chin from crying and is drinking more than she probably should.  

While the pre-chorus walks each line melodically to emphasize their strike, the chorus sees her expertly playing all sides of breakup feelings as she shifts bitterness towards how much time she wasted on someone who would just break her heart, putting an exclamation point on the gamut of her conflicting emotions:

“I hate that I wasted my best years of my life

My time, and my patience, and those bottles of wine

You took the laughs, and the tears, love notes on the mirror, and my kisses too

God, I hate that I wasted all my lipstick on you”

The second half of the song sees her furthering the bitterness felt in the chorus as she goes through a list of the places she should have left her lipstick marks rather than on him, including on a champagne glass or on someone who’d appreciate her, while the redemption styled clap along moment into the final chorus injects a gospel touch into the aura to expertly give this crescendo moment the feeling that she’s now freed herself from the past.

Though similar themes are often heard in country music, by cleverly running the range of emotions that arrive in the aftermath of a breakup against comparative lyrics to different lipstick mark analogies, Sophia Scott showcases a uniquely fresh perspective while skillfully wrapping into an intriguing melodic vibe that draws you in and makes you want to listen.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)

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