Of Note: ‘Never Far Away’ by Active Child

Of Note: ‘Never Far Away’ by Active Child

Funky doesn’t always need to be frenetic and bombastic.  Sometimes it can be chillingly quiet, somber, even haunting.  Such is the case with today’s featured song, ‘Never Far Away’ by electronic musician Pat Grossi, under the name Active Child. 

A New Jersey native, Grossi is quite an accomplished harpist.  Back in 2011, his debut album, ‘You Are All I See’ garnered quite a bit of buzz in the music press capturing the attention of Ellie Goulding, who covered one of his songs on her second release.

Pulsing with a scattershot beat, ‘Never Far Away’ finds Mr. Grossi in a rather mystical mood, though one infused with an undeniable groove which I can only define as meditatively funky.  The sound is nothing new.  Many a quiet storm vocalist has tread these waters and Michael McDonald has explored a similar sound throughout his career – most notably on his ‘Blink of an Eye’ album. 

This song has stayed on my mind all week, occupying my quieter moments.  A perfect match for my mood, its delicate balance hovers; cascading a cool blueish/grey tone over my rather weary world view.