In November 2017, London-via-Paris soul singer Million Miles (singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sophie Baudry) released her debut four-song EP Berry Hill. Its first track, "Ice Cream & Cigarettes", presented an interesting moment of self-definition: 'Cause I don't need no perfume or a pretty dress/ Give me ice cream and cigarettes'. Baudry's classically soulful vocals consistently reassure you with a sense of effortless familiarity and easy-listening optimism. If you listen closely, however, you register that the effortlessly airy, bohemian-esque bliss she conjures is grounded by loss and regret.
Despite her relocation to Nashville, Baudry's latest single "If Only" threads on familiar emotional terrain. Baudry draws stylistic inspiration from American soul legends like Ray Charles and Bill Withers, but her lyrics deal with the fairly modern problem of looking for a committed relationship when everyone is swamped with dating apps:
“We hear it all the time, “I don’t have time for a relationship, I’m too busy to date” even though the right person might have come into your life, we make excuses and create our own obstacles. The track is called ‘If Only’ for this reason, If only we didn’t sit on the fence, if only we didn’t wait, if only we were ready, asking if only can we have all manner of effects on life and the track relates to all of them, I hope”.
In honeyed tones, Baudry fleshes out her disappointment and bitterness in having to accept that her romantic interest is simply not ready to take the plunge. After a promising start ('Feels like distant memory/ When I first laid eyes on you/ It was a little more than friendly'), her love affair turned sour due to chronic indecision and selfishness ('Nothing lasts forever/ Except waiting on my own/ For you to get your ass together/ Take your time won't you baby/ Take a moment or two/ Think about someone else but you'). Baudry moves on smoothly with a heavenly chorus of backing vocals, but not without a lingering sense of disappointment: 'I'm not lonely/ But if only/ Got better things to think about/ Than falling in love with you'. The road of life is unfathomably long, and she keeps her gaze firmly focused on the better things that are yet to come.
