Synth Single Review: “Never Lie To You” by Mayah Camara & JJ Mist

by Karl Magi

Mayah Camara & JJ Mist’s “Never Lie To You” explores passionate attachment and romance. The song begins with a swirling note pattern moving with urgency above a hard-hitting retro beat. Chimes flicker with cut-glass brilliance and Mayah Camara captures the absolute intensity and burning need within the lyrics. The performance is full of blazing life and both singers harmonize richly in the chorus above the solid rhythmic pulse.

JJ Mist’s sensually unfolding voice drifts as Mayah Camara adds her own emotive sound. The chorus is explosive and leaps with crystalline coruscation as the two singers create fiery feeling. The music catches the pure 1980s vibes and soulful positivity, driving them home to me before the song closes out.

The song’s subject tells the narrator that, in his deepest fantasy, he pictured her and “found a way to make it reality.” Every man has a strategy and “you found a way to knock me off my feet ‘cause your words were so sweet.” He asks her to look into his eyes and realize that he will never lie to her.

“You can see the signs if you really try,” he insists, promising “I’ll fight for you, babe,” as he speaks of making his way in the world and searching for a “special girl.” She responds that he wants to change his circumstances, to feel as though they’re in a dance, adding, “I’m gonna have to give you a chance, I want a life of romance.”

The narrator tells the song’s subject that he has to know she won’t let go, because he’s the only one for her. She continues, “everyone can see you were made for me ‘cause you’re my baby,” before concluding, “no, I’ve never felt this way about anyone else! Give me a chance, I’ll be the perfect girl.”