Title: Heart Of Steal (Acoustic Version)
Length: 3:25
Label: Independent/Unsigned
Genres: Acoustic Pop
Release Date: 19th February 2014
Written By: Elyar Black, Adam Black
Produced By: Adam Black, Amy-Jayne, Will.Rocca
Sounds Like: Elyar Fox - Do it All Over Again (Acoustic)
(Acoustic Version)'Heart Of Steal (Acoustic)' is the closure to the album and is the acoustic version on 'Heart Of Steal' which was the first song Elyar released publicly for sale, the song in its original non acoustic format peaked at #13 upon release, and finishes the album off downtempo,
"Heart Of Steal is the debut single by American singer, rapper and model Elyar Black, who is to date a big youtube star looking to break out into the industry with this single, he is also known for being the younger brother of fellow singer Adam Black, the song "Heart Of Steal" was written by Elyar Black, Adam Black, Production for the song was handled by Adam Black, with additional production by Will.Rocca and Amy-Jayne, It was recorded at Serenity West Recording Studio in Los Angeles, California and was mixed by Adam Black at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, "Heart Of Steal is an up-tempo electropop and dance-pop song that also incorporates R&B and is a song that showcases Elyar's singing in both low and high ranges."Heart Of Steal" makes use of a thumping euro disco beat and some Auto-Tune vocals the song is set for release on 19th February 2014 to all major digital outlets as well as major radio stations.
The song starts with a electronic beat as Elyar singing in a low key with a rather husky tone to his voice which is rare for someone of his age he stays in this key for the entire first verse showcasing a great deal of control in the lower range of his voice, as he begins to sing the bridge the beat changes and slows down to a more urban sound, Elyar then can be heard singing with again the husky low range tone in his voice again showing control in his vocals there is also backing vocals provided here by Elyar's brother Adam Black, as the bridge ends the beat once again picks up again to a more electronic sound as Elyar begins to sing the chorus this time however his sings in a higher tone without the husky manly tone to his voice instead a more sweet and more boyish tone is given off in his vocals his vocals are not a controlled in the higher range but the tone and sound is pleasant but a slight bit of auto-tune was added just in case, after the chorus the beat changes slightly a more dance sound as Elyar begins to sing the second verse of the song once again with the deeper more husky tone to his voice and the control is maintained once again, after this verse again there is a bridge section with the beat once again changing to a more urban sound however Elyar this time sings the bridge still in a lower key but towards the end sings in a higher key again Adam Black provides backing vocals, the beat changes once again to an electronic beat as Elyar sings the fchours once again in the higher range of his vocals however this chours is slightly different due to the fact that no auto-tune was used in this chours so the sound is more pure and real then there is another bridge section again with Elyar singing in the lower key but this bridge section however has no backing vocals by Adam, the best then changed again to a more electronic beat as Elyar sings the chorus once again with the higher key and again opts not to auto-tune his vocals after Elyar finishes singing the beat plays out for ten more seconds before the song ends.
the music video was directed by Jasmine Dias who also directed a number of his youtube videos that were original, filming took place on January 25th, 2014, the video was released via Elyar's channel on the video sharing website YouTube on February 3rd as a lyrics video with the official video being uploaded soon, Dias claimed that she wanted to incorporate an "international vibe" into the video, by embracing a variety of dance from different cultures, by having girls from different cultures come and dance and brought out a different energy and just created a video that is really fun, lively and exciting.
"Heart Of Steal" was mixed received by critics, James Rettig of Billboard commended Blackfor "taking risks" with the song's composition than your everyday song, citing the beat box sounds backing the chorus as an example. Spin Circle criticized Black's bad boy lyrics for demonstrating "cheating to be cool", but concluded that the song as a whole "is the craziest song that could be a hit right now", Writing for MSN, Kathy Iandoli described the song as "electo-heavy, splashy, braggy", however wrote that the lyrics lend the song "X-rated fun" by "balancing the flirt rated verses" by Elyar. Rap-Up noted how "Heart Of Steal" demonstrates a "scandalous side" of Black. Kathy Iandoli's review of the song for MSN contains the subtitle "Apparently boys speaks a universal language", based on Black's lyrics which he partly speaks in a patois claiming that even if he cannot speak the language of a foreign woman, her " body don't need explaining, he'll still have sex with her", and his reference to "him not being himself", DJBooth reviewer Richard quipped that "Heart Of Steal" demonstrates how when Black "spits game to beautiful women even if he gets in trouble he always manages to make himself get away with it", Lamb of About.com awarded a four and a half star rating, praising the song's instant warmth of the electo-based arrangement, Black's romantic vocals and as a perfect dance option. Lmab however disregarded its "simplistic swoony lyrics". He concluded his review, saying ""Heart Of Steal" helps prove that Elyar is not only an amazingly good-looking lad but he can truly communicate to an audience vocally as well. Look for this song as a key choice at romantic events throughout 2014 and beyond.", A reviewer for Yahoo! Voices praised it as "a very strong electronic track", calling it "one of the better tracks on the year so far", Erinn V. Westbrook of The Harvard Crimson wrote positively about the single, saying "It’s a bit sappy, but Black comes off surprisingly genuine. If you’re like me, you may actually fall in love with the twenty year old vocalist.", Andy Kellman of Allmusic named it one of the year's highlights Nick Levine of Digital Spy gave the song a three star rating, calling it a "pretty, electo-tinged R&B song" and commenting that "The lyrics won't be troubling GOLDIE'S judges any time soon, but its chorus is pretty enough to make us turn a deaf ear.
Lyrics:Saturday, 3am
Out came the words i wish i'd never said
Now if we could start again, rewind the time
I'd think it over, before the words left my head
And i'm sorry, i'm really sorry
It kills me to watch you crumble before my eyes
And now i'm half the man, that you thought i was
But i'll build it up, and make you realise
My Mother would be so ashamed
She didn't raise her son this way
And i swear i've seen my darkest days
Lay out my cards, nothing left to say
My Mother would be so ashamed
Oh, you built your heart out of steel
To keep away the monsters but you let one in
And you should know it, everyone has a bad side
And i don't know when the take over did begin
But i promise you i made a mistake
Like a thief in the night, but i won't reveal
I'll creep back in, safe and sound
And your heart i will stealHonestly, i realise
It plays over and over inside of my brain
I only have myself to blame
But do you think we could start again?
And its killing me, its really killing me
To think that the trust we built could fall so easily
I'll work each day to start anew
And get the trust so you believe in me
My Mother would be so ashamed
She didn't raise her son this way
And i swear i've seen my darkest days
Lay out my cards, nothing left to say
My Mother would be so ashamed
Oh, you built your heart out of steel
To keep away the monsters but you let one in
And you should know it, everyone has a bad side
And i don't know when the take over did begin
But i promise you i made a mistake
Like a thief in the night, but i won't reveal
I'll creep back in, safe and sound
And your heart i will stealMy Mother would be so ashamed
She didn't raise her son this way
And i swear i've seen my darkest days
Lay out my cards, nothing left to say
My Mother would be so ashamed
Oh, you built your heart out of steel
To keep away the monsters but you let one in
And you should know it, everyone has a bad side
And i don't know when the take over did begin
But i promise you i made a mistake
Like a thief in the night, but i won't reveal
I'll creep back in, safe and sound
And your heart i will steal