DARIANN LEIGH - Love Me Let Me -  Burning Ground Entertainment

Having already built a strong foundation on the back of earlier song releases “Let Me Go” and “Leave,” 2024 has seen Dariann Leigh turn the page of a whole new chapter, challenging boundary lines to fluidly mix an essence of pop and country sensibilities into a fresh sound that’s become the defining exclamation point to who she is in the here and now.

With “Bury Me On Broadway” and “Just Say It” already leading the way, Leigh now caps off her very solid year with another huge stride forward, “Love Me Let Me.”

The song, written by Dariann, Tiffany Goss, Lenny Pey, and AJ Gatio, pulls influence from the age-old idea that if you love someone set them free, slightly twisting it to instead capture her bold confidence in walking away, taking a break, and hopefully endearing him to grow up while maturely rediscovering her own self-worth and expectations within the rocky relationship.

"If you love someone enough, you'll let them go. If it's real love, you'll find your way back," states Dariann Leigh. "I had the line 'if you love me, let me leave' in my notes app for months and when I walked into the writing room, I knew these were the people I wanted to write it with."

The mid-tempo glide through the melodic pop driven output allows the softer edges of her voice to grip the lyrics as she bends against laments of how he now wants to call her but never to apologize while stamping down her exhausted truth that she thought he’d have treated her better than he has.

However, an intriguing hard right then sees her reiterating that she still wants to be together if it makes sense in the end, leading directly into the plead-filled chorus that balances the edges of her ultimatum:

“If you love me let me leave

I’ll be gone in morning before you wake up

Everybody says your bad for me

And that we’ll never make it

It’s gonna take ya like 40 dozen roses

You gon need a couple friends to help you hold ‘em

Oh and Baby im not sayin that it’s over

I’ll come back to you, and you’ll come back to me

If you love me let me leave”

Seeking silent peacefulness in the complicated separation so to think about whether they could, and/or should even be together going forward, there’s a hopefulness to her tones that leans against the best possible outcome but cautiously holds tightly to her heart-led willingness to be okay with walking away.

Young love is always a complex array of emotions that often rides a roller coaster of anxious asks of whether I should stay or go? Leigh has expertly captured the connection strike with the struggled listener on this relatable tune, holding heartstrings in the perfect imbalance within the uncomfortableness of letting go while trying to hold on.

(Review Written By: Jeffrey Kurtis)