Playful but unmistakably breakable, the strings we hear at the onset of Grey DeLisle’s “Valentine” might have been enough to carry the track all on their own had I not been aware of the talent this singer has when she’s at the helm of the mic. When she starts to quietly unfurl the opening verses of the song, DeLisle’s voice penetrates the listener’s soul seamlessly, encapsulating a wide-eyed, childlike innocence and a weathered strain of maturity only attainable by years spent in life’s thickest trenches. The conflicting emotions are colliding in all too peaceful a manner here, leaving a vulnerability that is at times tear-jerking for the audience at center stage.

DeLisle’s singing is the number one draw in “Valentine,” but I would be lying if I said it wasn’t breathtakingly complemented by the instrumental fabric it’s presented beside. There’s a deliberateness to the arrangement here that really speaks to the skills and abilities of all parties in involved, and though anyone could have taken a look at the star of the show’s background and known they were likely in for something good, I don’t think many could have anticipated the utter magic moments the chorus in this single inspire.

No review of “Valentine” would be complete without touching on the music video for the song, which features visual contrast but never dares to step outside of a very simplistic framework rarely found in mainstream pop anymore. Balance is important in any performance, but what hits home the hardest with this song is its rigid placement of a verse before everything else in its master mix. It looks, feels and sounds like something out of Dylan-era folk/rock, but with the sensibilities of a much more discriminating millennial generation of music lovers. Perhaps as close to a perfect cocktail as one can get, it’s now among the highest peaks in Grey DeLisle’s career.

I haven’t been as impressed with raw acoustic material as I am with “Valentine” this March in a really long time, and after you give it a listen I think you’re going to understand why. There aren’t many singer/songwriters who have the melodic integrity DeLisle has, and with this Murry Hammond-penned composition she demonstrates a caliber of talent no real critic is going to dismiss. I’m going to keep her on my radar through the rest of the year, and if you’re into premium alternative music, you’ll think about doing the same.

John McCall