Holland-based singer/songwriter Baer Traa (pronounced as Bear Trà) produces a soulful sound, helpfully inspired by soul singers like Marvin Gaye and Bill Withers, in addition to songwriters like James Taylor and Jackson Browne. “Stone Cold Woman” is the first single of a forthcoming EP, releasing later this year. The track “tells the story of the hopeless attraction to a beautiful but deceitful woman,” — nothing thematically new for the soul/blues/rock vein, though pulled off well here. The suaveness in the first several verses essentially culminate in several excellent additions around 02:48, particularly with the new presence of strings that add a stellar orchestral touch.
“We actually already recorded the track when I thought it lacked something epic at the end,” Baer explains. “Nothing beats that silky sound of a real string quartet, so I turned to recordings with Paul Riser (again Motown) arrangements to get some cool ideas. My sister, being a badass violin player, called some friends to play an arrangement I wrote and they absolutely nailed it.” By the its conclusion, “Stone Cold Woman” emerges as a success that yearns for repeated listens.
