Rock critics grabbing for comparisons have latched onto artists as far afield as Joe Jackson and Billy Joel, Coldplay and Dave Matthews, Ben Folds Five and Maroon 5. But none of those begin to capture the unique beauty of Step into the Future. To do so, one has to look in an entirely different direction, towards the SoCal reggae scene, and perhaps to Sublime at their most sublime.
Famously, ska (reggae's earliest form) was a mis-step by veteran Jamaican big band musicians attempting to play R&B. Accepted wisdom, but still a giant leap if you play the two genre's records side by side. But on this set, Fisher provides a clutch of missing links, beginning with "Step into the Future", a gently infectious jazz-pop number, with an exacting rhythm and prominent bass line, that with slight shifts in emphasis step straight into the syncopation that defines reggae.
The societal battering lyrics shout roots to the rafters, while surely the reference to "rebel music" is a nod to the Bob Marley song of the same title.
"Step" provides reggae's origins in jazz, "Shades of Blue" its debt to R&B. The backing female vocalists and the exuberant trumpet solos evoke both Motown and Kingston, while the instrumental break swirls in a touch of British invasion. This is 60s pop at its genre bending finest.
R&B evolved into funk in the late 60s, which simultaneously saw the birth of true reggae, and "State of Mind" celebrates both with a musical marriage, with best man, guitarist Bob Dunham, bringing a gift of progrock to the ceremony. Dunham sidles into psychedelia on "No Remedy", a number that continually swings from prog to deep roots, and whose lyrical plea for unity to build a better world is ripped right out of the roots and culture songbook. And lyrically, "3,000 Years", "This Song", "Chains of Time", and with slight alteration "See the Day" all echo of classic cultural songs, while on the latter Fisher sounds to be channelling Stephen Marley.
But Fisher isn't Jamaican, nor is Steps, for all its island elements, a reggae record, but an inspired, and subtle cross- over. For at its core, this is a set of exquisite songs, whose themes, both cultural and romantic, are thoughtful and universal, never diving into the all about me and my feelings that currently define the singer-songwriter genre.
The music is overwhelmingly gorgeous, with the entire set showcasing Fisher's fabulous musical talents, from rollicking jazz to dreamy passages his piano work is exquisite, his vocals stunning throughout, with "Android Love" arguably best showcasing his luminescent falsetto. A beautifully crafted fusion set that every reggae, pop and jazz fan should adore.
Sans toi
Scott Fisher & 1A.M. Approach Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Où je t'ai vu mon amour
Au détour d'une ruelle
Qui aurait pu imaginer
Que le destin
Fougueux comme je l'étais
Aurait pu nous rapprocher
À mes yeux comme une étincelle
Qui me donne un nouvel avenir
Tant de plaisir
Je t'aime au-delà de toutes mes limites
Tu es ma n°1 baby
Je te suis jusqu'au bout
Amant ou bien ami
Tu seras la seule, je l'avoue
Je me vois
Marchant sur nos plaines
Pas sans toi
Je te voudrais mienne
Crois en moi
Et que ces mots soient gravés dans de la pierre
Oh promets-moi
Je me vois
Comme dans un poème
Pas sans toi
Vivre dans la bohème
Crois en moi
Et que ces mots soient gravés dans de la pierre
Oh promets-moi
Je ne dirai plus les mots
Qui touchaient avant
J'en ai bien dit trop
J'ai fait du mal et perdu trop de temps
Aujourd'hui, j'ai tant de regrets
Tromper celles qui m'aimaient
Blessées de mots cruels
Ignorer leurs "stop"
Pour tout le mal que j'ai bien pu te faire
Je demande pardon
Crois moi que j'en ai souffert autrefois
Tu es ma n°1 baby
Je te suis jusqu'au bout
Amant ou bien ami
Tu seras la seule, je l'avoue
Donne-moi une dernière
Chance
Tu es ma n°1 baby
Je te suis jusqu'au bout
Amant ou bien ami
Tu seras la seule, je l'avoue
The lyrics to "Sans Toi" by Scott Fisher & 1A.M. Approach is a love song about the singer's memories of the day they met their significant other. They describe how they met in an unexpected way and how destiny brought them together. The singer describes their significant other as beautiful and someone who gave them a new future filled with pleasure. The chorus reveals the deep love they have for their significant other, stating that they are their number one and that they would follow them to the end. They also express regret for hurting others in the past and ask for forgiveness from their significant other.
The song gives a sense of the power of love and how it can change one's life. The lyrics paint a picture of a deep connection between the singer and their significant other. The chorus communicates how much they love their significant other, reinforcing their devotion to them. The lyrics also express the importance of forgiveness and second chances.
Line by Line Meaning
Je me rappelle le jour
I vividly remember the day
Où je t'ai vu mon amour
when I saw you, my love,
Au détour d'une ruelle
at the turn of a street corner,
Qui aurait pu imaginer
who could have imagined
Que le destin
that destiny
Fougueux comme je l'étais
as passionate as I was
Aurait pu nous rapprocher
could have brought us together
Tu m'es apparue si belle
You appeared to me so beautiful
À mes yeux comme une étincelle
Like a spark in my eyes
Qui me donne un nouvel avenir
that gave me a new future
Tant de plaisir
So much pleasure
Je t'aime au-delà de toutes mes limites
I love you beyond all my limits
Tu es ma n°1 baby
You are my number one, baby
Je te suis jusqu'au bout
I'll follow you until the end
Amant ou bien ami
Lover or friend
Tu seras la seule, je l'avoue
You will be the only one, I confess
Je me vois
I see myself
Marchant sur nos plaines
Walking on our lands
Pas sans toi
Not without you
Je te voudrais mienne
I'd want you to be mine
Crois en moi
Believe in me
Et que ces mots soient gravés dans de la pierre
And let these words be engraved in stone
Oh promets-moi
Oh promise me
Je me vois
I see myself
Comme dans un poème
Like in a poem
Vivre dans la bohème
Living in the bohemian way
Crois en moi
Believe in me
Je ne dirai plus les mots
I won't say those words anymore
Qui touchaient avant
That I used to say before
J'en ai bien dit trop
I have said too much
J'ai fait du mal et perdu trop de temps
I hurt and wasted too much time
Aujourd'hui, j'ai tant de regrets
Today, I have so many regrets
Tromper celles qui m'aimaient
For cheating those who loved me
Blessées de mots cruels
Hurt by cruel words
Ignorer leurs "stop"
Ignoring their 'stop'
Pour tout le mal que j'ai bien pu te faire
For all the harm I might have caused you
Je demande pardon
I ask for forgiveness
Crois moi que j'en ai souffert autrefois
Believe me that I suffered from it in the past
Donne-moi une dernière
Give me one last chance
Chance
A chance
Lyrics © SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Amine Mounder, Djamel Fezari, Georges Padey, Hayet Hamdi, Mathieu Tota, Pascal Koeu, Thierry Said
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind