Toronto soul artist Tara Van arrives with "I'm A Vine," a single that frames resilience in more muted, persistent terms, the kind of flexibility that stays understated. Van cites Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings among her inspirations, and that lineage shows in the song's refusal to dress up its message with excess.
The recording builds its momentum on Van's singing. Van moves from conversational, rhythmic phrasing into higher-register, sustained passages with enough control that the shift comes across as intentional, not labored. When the vocal pushes into its most urgent territory, the release feels genuine. The dynamic range here is almost entirely vocal which, given the song's themes of self-determination and independence, is exactly the right call.
Van's art school background may explain her instinct and control. The track doesn't oversell its message, and that discipline is what makes the song's main image land rather than preach.
Do as the vines do...find a way around or up and over. Keep on reaching for the light.
That philosophy works because the performance backs it up. Van sounds like someone who has actually lived the idea, not just written it down.
