Izzy Mahoubi Gets Soulful in New Single “Good”
Indie singer-songwriter Izzy Mahoubi is no stranger to laying out her frustrations with romance. Mahoubi’s previous single, “Wanted,” was about a man she desperately wanted, who did not reciprocate her feelings. It was upbeat and playful, and felt like a night spent around a campfire with your girlfriends poking fun at the relationship. Her latest single, “Good,” while similar in its frustration with romance, is completely different in tone. It’s teeming with pain and heartbreak, it’s sobbing alone in your room. “Good” feels like it’s been pulled straight from Mahoubi’s tear stained diary pages.
From the very first note, Mahoubi’s vocals are raw and intimate, her pain on full display as she sings, “I’ve got nothing left to give / Like Janis I’ll sing the blues.” Her voice has a soulful rasp to it throughout the first verse, adding another layer of emotion to the lyrics. The emotion builds to a crescendo in the bridge as Mahoubi repeatedly sings “I’m running back now / I’m running back / Ghosts of my past now / Somebody quiet them down.” On the final repetition Mahoubi pours all her emotion into a powerful belt on the word “down.” The power behind the vocals and instruments continue throughout the final moments as Mahoubi wraps up the song with “If only he were good.”
In addition to Mahoubi’s vocals the song features soulful saxophone and guitars, which mirror the pain and suffering found in the lyrics. On an Instagram post promoting the song Mahoubi described it as “bluesy, saxophoney, messy, singing from the very depths of my soul-y,” and there’s truly no better way to describe it. The blues and saxophone only emphasize the emotion that Mahoubi put into her lyrics. Together the instrumentation and lyrics build the story Mahoubi needs to share with the world.