Ali Gatie, What If I Told You That I Love You | Track Review

Pop/R&B singer-songwriter Ali Gatie delivers a pleasant, relatable, and well-rounded record with “What If I Told You That I Love You.”

Ali Gatie is a pop/R&B/rap singer-songwriter based in Toronto, born in Yemen.  Notably, he made his first appearance on The Musical Hype on the playlist, 12 Unique Songs Loosely Associated with the Moon. He makes a second appearance sooner than later with “What If I Told You That I Love You,” his first single of 2020.

“What If I Told You That I Love You” is a pleasant record through and through.  The record is written and produced by Ali Gatie, DANNYBOYSTYLES (Danny Schofield), and Sam Wish (Samuel Wishkoski).  The backdrop is characteristic of the contemporary pop/R&B sound, and well attuned to Gatie’s voice.  It’s not earth-shattering, but again, the production suits the singer.  Vocally, Gatie sings soundly, exhibiting a beautiful tone, nuance/color, while not overreaching or underwhelming.

Thematically, Gatie asks his fair share of questions – hypothetical questions. The prime example is the chorus:

“What if I told you that I love you?
What if I told you that I love you?
What if I told you that I need you?
Would you tell me that you need me, too?
What if I told you that I love you?”

Of course, it should be noted, the world love gets multisyllabic treatment – you can listen to it for yourself.  Focusing on the questions, basically, Gatie seems to be trying to solidify the relationship status.  It seems, whatever her response is, he’s going to base his response similarly: “I don’t wanna say, ‘I miss you’ / If I don’t know that you miss me back…”

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, in reiteration, “What If I Told You That I Love You” is a pleasant record through and through.  The vocals are solid, the songwriting is simple, but relatable, and the production is contemporary and suits Ali Gatie.  This pleasant single doesn’t necessarily feel particularly innovative, which might be the biggest rub.  That doesn’t kill the vibe though – Ali has a pretty good thing going here. 

Ali Gatie, “What If I Told You That I Love You” – Single • LISN / Warner • Release: 1.24.20

Photo Credits: LISN / Warner