Artist: Collette Savard
Album: Best Dress
Label: Self released
Release date: April 21 2012
The
first track on this CD is Nicer Things, which is a slow paced country
song. When I first listened to it I noticed that the vocals sounded far
away. Initially I didn’t like it, but gradually I began to appreciate
it. It was a brave measure for an otherwise straightforward song. I
could tell she had a beautiful voice, and thought it was interesting she
had chose to bury it in the mix. Then I realized my headphones were
plugged in all the way. Yep, that fixed it and put the vocals back on
top of the mix as the artist intended.
The musicianship that went
into Best Dress is impressive. There are something like fifteen
instruments being played on the album, but not necessarily all at once
so it provides variety without being overwhelming. Collette has a
beautiful voice and controls it as an instrument and not just as a means
to express the lyrics. Her music is folk, country, pop. I would
really like to hear her sing sincere angry rock from her heart. She has
a voice that, if fueled by true vengeful hurt, would bring a level of
legitimacy back to a whore of an industry………………… But that is not her
style.
By song #6 I wasn’t sure about this album as a whole.
Individually the songs were good, but together there wasn’t enough
variety for my taste. Then track seven started: Are You Coming Along.
This is my favorite track on the album. The composition is very
interesting and the reverse tracks utilized in mixing changes the
otherwise conventional style of the album. The song is hooky and
catches your attention more so than the rest.
I went and looked up
some of Collette’s other material online. The two main players in the
project have a lot of talent, and are doing some very interesting
things. I could be missing the mark, but it almost seems like they are
hungry to get out of the box. Every now and then they create an
ethereal noise that stands apart from the rest of their music. I think
it is those few glimpses where we see of what they are capable.
This is not from the album, but I like it.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Monday, July 2, 2012
What What
I received a press release that said:
Orange County Musician Hosts a Show on Airsee.com
STOP THE MOTHER FLIPPING PRESSES... Oh, wait a minute, that is what Airsee.com is for... I guess this isn't really news. Okay, go ahead a restart the presses.
That would be equal to, but not as interesting as, a press release titled:
Cleveland County woman urinates in toilet.... Film at Eleven.
Orange County Musician Hosts a Show on Airsee.com
STOP THE MOTHER FLIPPING PRESSES... Oh, wait a minute, that is what Airsee.com is for... I guess this isn't really news. Okay, go ahead a restart the presses.
That would be equal to, but not as interesting as, a press release titled:
Cleveland County woman urinates in toilet.... Film at Eleven.
CD Review: 2nd Life - Everything is Possible
I receive CDs to be reviewed and have no real rule of thumb deciding
which ones to review. I chose the album Everything’s Possible by 2nd
Life because they are from South Africa and I decided I wanted to hear
what S.A. had to offer.
Unlike most people, I not only like, but actually really love cover songs. Some times I get excited about them. If it is a song I really like, I want to hear what one musician did with it compared to the original artist’s presentation of it. So when I got this CD and I saw the title of track 5, I went straight to it.
This band’s rendition of Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac is interesting and certainly not bad, but lacks the power of the original. Stevie Nicks has done interviews stating how much she hates singing the song because, when written, it was Lindey Buckingham’s way of calling her a bitch and a slut. The song comes from pain and anger. 2nd Life’s version is empty of either.
The album over all is poppy and upbeat. I could find very little information on the artist (2nd life is a one man band) other than his previous band experience, but just listening to this album gives you a pretty clear idea of his musical influences. At different times during different songs your ear can taste ingredients like Kansas, Metalica, Rick Springfield, Hoodie and the Blowfish, etc.
This is a very safe album with an almost Christian Rock sound. If you have a young niece and her mom doesn’t want her listening to a lot of songs that may contain the “fuck” word, then this is a safe buy.
Check out the video for the song 2011. Even though they don’t sound exactly a like, see if the intro guitar riff makes you want to start singing “Hold On Loosely” by 38 Special.
_____________________________________________________
Unlike most people, I not only like, but actually really love cover songs. Some times I get excited about them. If it is a song I really like, I want to hear what one musician did with it compared to the original artist’s presentation of it. So when I got this CD and I saw the title of track 5, I went straight to it.
This band’s rendition of Go Your Own Way by Fleetwood Mac is interesting and certainly not bad, but lacks the power of the original. Stevie Nicks has done interviews stating how much she hates singing the song because, when written, it was Lindey Buckingham’s way of calling her a bitch and a slut. The song comes from pain and anger. 2nd Life’s version is empty of either.
The album over all is poppy and upbeat. I could find very little information on the artist (2nd life is a one man band) other than his previous band experience, but just listening to this album gives you a pretty clear idea of his musical influences. At different times during different songs your ear can taste ingredients like Kansas, Metalica, Rick Springfield, Hoodie and the Blowfish, etc.
This is a very safe album with an almost Christian Rock sound. If you have a young niece and her mom doesn’t want her listening to a lot of songs that may contain the “fuck” word, then this is a safe buy.
Check out the video for the song 2011. Even though they don’t sound exactly a like, see if the intro guitar riff makes you want to start singing “Hold On Loosely” by 38 Special.
_____________________________________________________
Side note:
For a less pretty, but more angry version of Go Your Own Way, check out the version by the punk band Seaweed.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)