Good Enough is a powerful recent release from artist and musician Johnathan Stone. The song brings together delicately expressive songwriting and an explicitly, unapologetically honest rap story-line. The contrast between these two elements is a huge part of what makes the song so intense and captivating. The hook section offers up a gentle and smooth melody – a beautifully soulful vocal line – whereas the rap verses present a much grittier and detailed exploration of the song’s underlying concept. The way these opposing sections are arranged is superb, the hook comes in more frequently than expected, so you get these very sudden breaks from the weight and hardship of the verses – the melodic moments make for a pause in the struggle, a time at which you can really sit back and reflect on it all as the calming ambiance surrounds you. It’s something of a bittersweet experience that hits with great impact.
As an artist, Johnathan Stone comes across as immensely passionate and endlessly talented. This release is supremely well crafted and produced to an incredibly high standard. Structurally, there is so much to witness and appreciate. The way in which the raw truth of certain lines emerges is almost too much to handle, though later on, the soothing hopefulness of the melody and the spoken words relating to faith gorgeously remind you that it’s not – that you can handle it, that you’re good enough.
It’s a mesmerising few minutes of music and performance, and although the overall sound draws a few comparisons with certain pop-hip-hop crossovers of recent years – the detail, colour, and emotion, all makes for something completely fresh and consistently valuable. Your attention is held at every moment, in a number of different ways. The music essentially fuses the hypnotic, addictive qualities of pop, with a much more alternative, creatively free and honest indie angle. It’s well worth listening a few times over to really take it all in, and once you do – it settles in confidently as a go-to track for any number of different situations.
Download the single via iTunes. Find & follow Johnathan Stone on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. The featured picture is the work of photographer Tyler Thompson.
