Review by Abby Kenna & Staff
“Give You Strength” by Charles Maring is an emotive story bound to touch the hearts of all listeners. Illustrating the hardships of quarantine, as well as the community that came of it, Maring has created a relatable, era-specific song.
“Give You Strength” opens with a stirring arrangement of guitars, one acoustic finger-picking an expressive pattern while an electric serenades with impassioned riffs. Poignant strings rise gently underneath the guitars, coloring the delicate notes with warmth and swells of vivid chords. This array of complimentary instrumentals set the tone of “Give You Strength”, with notes of both hopefulness and grief.
“We may lose everything we’ve ever known
But at least we’re warm and safe…”
The chorus blossoms with a newfound sense of determination as compelling drums layer on, adding an element of grit to the reflective tone of “Give You Strength”. Straying from its gentle fingerpicking pattern, the acoustic guitar transitions into an impassioned strum, adding even more rhythmic accentuation to the chorus. Maring’s voice echoes this shift of attitude, with a surge of fervor in his melodic adaptations in the new section.
“Give You Strength” also acts as a time capsule, capturing an unforgettable era in music. In the way that we associate “Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young or “For What It’s Worth” by Buffalo Springfield with the Vietnam War Era, this song represents a significant time in both American and international history. Maring’s detailed lyrics depict the hardships of quarantine and the COVID-19 pandemic, and can help listeners generations from now understand the trials of this time:
“They say the war we’re in ain’t over
Stay home and keep your family safe
And if you’re fighting on the front lines
We tip our hats and give you thanks”
“Give You Strength” is an expressive story told through a delicately colorful arrangement. Combining poignant guitars and strings with a heart wrenchingly relatable depiction of the COVID-19 pandemic, Maring has created a timeless picture of this moment in our history.
About Charles Maring Charles Maring is an American artist and songwriter creating at the intersections of fine art abstract oil painting, photography, animation, and music. The songs he writes are storytelling often pulling from real life experiences and influenced by love, travel, family, friends, and places lived. Growing up in the south and spending a lot of his childhood in the Carolina's and Texas, only to find himself as an adult living in Manhattan and New England for many years pursuing his passions, Maring draws on both his country roots and his big city dreams which find their way into his writing style and lyrics. Self taught, and often self produced, he offers a classic sound that weaves together folk, country, and rock to create an a classic Americana sound. Charles currently lives in Savannah, Georgia.
For more information on Charles Maring, please visit his website.