Thanks to MotD contributor Carlo Migliaccio for this submission!
Phoebe Katis is a British artist whose work spans from folk to funk. She released her debut album, Honesty, in 2019, which despite Covid time dilation making it feel like centuries ago, is far more recent than the extent of her career would suggest. Across the four albums that she has now produced, her music runs the gamut from intimate ballads such as “Songbird” (Sweet Reunion, 2022) to the raucous bop that is “Touches” (Honesty, 2019). She has displayed that musical versatility not just through solo music, but also through collaborations with Scary Pockets, Vulfpeck, and Cory Wong, the last of whom produced several of her albums and accompanied her on many recordings.
Katis composes many of her own tunes and has cowritten several others. She is a capable pianist, with a voice that blends a slight breathiness with soulful clarity. All of this is to say that she has produced some extraordinary music. Of course, her greatest work has to be “Make Believe” – a soulful ballad off of Honesty – as it provides us with today’s modulation.
The song begins with Cory Wong delivering a sweet Latin ballad rhythm in the key of D major. However, the tune quickly settles into a laid back pop/soul feel as the full band joins in to accompany Katis’ smooth vocals. A short build beginning at 2:17 culminates in a whole step modulation upwards into E Major, where the tonic remains until the end. Enjoy!
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