Showing posts with label female singer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label female singer. Show all posts

Driving North Review

Driving North
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Driving North? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Driving North. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Driving North ReviewIf you're a fan of singer/songwriters along the lines of Patty Griffin, Cheryl Wheeler, Lucinda Williams and Elyza Gilkyson, then there's a fairly good chance that you will rejoice in the music of Chris Pureka. This New England-based folkie combines lyrical songwriting ability with an emotionally expressive (and thoroughly husky) voice, drawing you in with her simple homespun songs about heartache, happiness and the change of the seasons. Drenching the songs in the imagery of her surroundings, Pureka creates a soundtrack for East Coast travels, evoking some to compare "Driving North" to Bruce Springsteen's early '80s masterpiece "Nebraska." On gorgeous ballads like "Unwelcome" and "3 a.m.," she nails matters of the heart, while on driving, insistent tunes like the haunting "Silo Song" and "Reprieve," she does the same with a ferocity that will instantly capture your attention. Listen to any of those tunes (not to mention "Burning Bridges" or the urgently soulful "Porch Songs") and try not to instantly fall in love with Pureka's music. In fact, I dare you.Driving North Overview

Want to learn more information about Driving North?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Sea Sew Review

Sea Sew
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Sea Sew? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Sea Sew. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Sea Sew ReviewLisa Hannigan's first solo album, and what an amazingly beautiful freshman effort.
Lisa played with Damien Rice for some time, in fact Volcano is probably one of my favorite songs because she, Damien, and the cello all sounded like perfect musical instruments. It's a shame that Rice asked her to split off onto her own. She appears with him on these two Damien Rice albums O,9 - both are masterpieces when she sings.
Sea Sew is one of those delicate beautifully mixed clear albums that is just a pleasure to listen to. Lisa's voice and phrasing shows a number of influences, but she is never derivative of their music. She has a unique style that is very easy to recognize. On different tracks, I'm reminded of Jane Birkin (ex fan de sixties), Edie Brickel (shooting rubber bands at the stars), Bjork (her early work, maybe even sugar cubes days), Her Irishness comes out frequently, just enough pleasant lilt.
Her voice has a wonderful range, from whisper quiet with a the tiniest bit of rasp to clear clean beautiful full singing. Notes are always hit perfectly (no pitchiness here dog). The recording has wonderful imaging. The mix is well balanced, Lisa's voice is crystal clear backed by musical instruments at exactly the right volume.
The packaging is worth mentioning - all paper and paper board. The disc fits in a slot just inside the front cover. The 10 page stapled insert includes the musician credits, most of the song lyrics (a few are missing), and the standard thank yous at the end. The cover is a photograph of a knit and stitched piece Lisa and Frances Hannigan did.
Ocean and A Rock - beautiful violin accompanies her voice starting off with a low intimate whisper. Slowly builds through the song to include a nicely played trumpet. The volume of this song stays constant, there is none of that annoying very quiet first one minute of the song and then blarring sound at the end.
Venn Diagram - oh such a beautiful singing of something so mathematical. There is an interesting drum beat driving through this song. Lisa's ha ha ha's are, well a bit exciting.
Sea Song - The cello back drop on this song is wonderful. The tone of her voice works very well with violin and cello. This song is a bit weaker compared to the rest, a little sing songy.
Splishy Splashy - beautiful guitar opening. This song seems like it should be silly, but in fact has a melancholy tone in contrast to the words. "Have your coffee splishy splashy" imagine those words sung slightly sad, each word emphasized. It's remarkable how she can use her voice so well to make words and music sound sad (there is a xylophone made to sound like a child's toy).
I Don't Know - another track with a driving drum and trumpet. It's probably the most radio playable song of the disc. It's a sweet song.
Keep It All - has almost a Cowboy Junkies vibe to it. A standout on the disc. Driving drum beat, bass line, cello, and guitar. Where the lead singer of Cowboy Junkies always sounded like she was on Qualueds, Lisa Hannigan has all her senses and hits perfect notes. One of my more favorite cuts on this disc.
Courting Blues - the only song Lisa did not write, and my least favorite. There's a fair amount of dissonance, not unpleasant.
Pistachio - a cute song. Probably sounds the most like Bjork mixed with Jane Birkin. A few times the singing rolls off to almost speaking. It's an interesting enjoyable effect. The lyrics are just so much fun and oddly have an exciting side to them.
Teeth - Almost hate to say it this way, but it's sort of folk music meets a movie soundtrack or show tune (without all the horns and huge orchestra). The song is just fine, not a standout.
Lille - the most Irish folk song of the disc. Just a beautiful song.
Overall, this is a very solid disc. Personally I would purchase the CD for the lovely packaging. There's maybe one or two tracks that I might not download, if I were picking and choosing. A case of very well done mix, recorded lovingly, and with care.
Lisa was a standout to me on the Damien Rice albums. She demonstrates that she is not a one trick pony, or the background singer. She is a solid artist in her own right.Sea Sew Overview

Want to learn more information about Sea Sew?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

It's Blitz Review

It's Blitz
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy It's Blitz? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on It's Blitz. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

It's Blitz ReviewThe Yeah Yeah Yeahs have been more than adept at keeping themselves a fresh commodity since they hit the NYC dance-punk scene in the early part of the millennial decade, their three albums over six years each showing a steady progression and evolution in the trio's distinctive sound. It's Blitz! is, predictably, like nothing the band has done before, trading in the raucous guitar assault of their debut and the more acoustic sounds of sophomore effort Show Your Bones for . . . disco?
Well, not quite. While the Yeah Yeah Yeahs have discovered a newfound appreciation for synthesizers and tasty backbeats on It's Blitz!, the band remains focused on well-crafted melodies, Karen O's distinctive vocals, and an appreciation for an undeniably organic sound that belies the electronica they put to excellent use here. Opener "Zero" starts off with a buzzing synth line and pulsating keyboards framing Karen O's effortless exhortations to "put your leather on." The song's graceful climax and smorgasbord of perfectly out-of-place blips and glitches perhaps make the song a challenging proposition to long-term fans, but its icy beauty and irresistibly catchy chorus, where Nick Zinner's guitar blares out in all its distorted glory, bode well for what follows.
And what follows is easily the best opening sequence Yeah Yeah Yeahs have put together. "Heads Will Roll" balances a menacing disco beat and O's frantic message to "dance `til you're dead" with a chorus and stinging hook that drag you in and don't let go, while "Soft Shock" dials back the energy without letting up on the band's flowing pop sensibility and O's uncomplicated vocals. For a singer who has built her reputation on the foundations of riot-grrl imagery and gritty New York punk, Karen O is unusually at ease here, her voice able to sound naturally in command or vulnerable at points without coming off as too affected.
Such an opening trifecta would be hard for any band to live up to, so it comes as little surprise that It's Blitz! dies down a bit in the middle. "Skeletons" takes the whole electronica shtick to an unnecessary level, washing the song in ambient noise and out-of-place string bits that make a threadbare song a needless slow burner, one that lacks the heart of the epic the band obviously wants it to be. Follow-up "Dull Life" is marginally better, but its up-tempo rhythm and needling guitar sound more out-of-place than anything else on the record, and the song's unusually strict adherence to standard verse-chorus-verse structure cause it to be fairly unremarkable.
But when you're nitpicking songs because they seem "too standard" or "out-of-place," it's because everything else is so damned good. The spooky synths and funky guitar of "Dragon Queen" impeccably mesh O's airy, sexy vocals with the tune's seductive disco strut, and the impressive rock showcase that is "Shame and Fortune" prove that Karen O is hardly the reason for the band's success - just take a listen to Zinner's wicked fuzz-guitar riffing in the outro.
And that's saying nothing about the two gorgeous ballads that close It's Blitz!, "Hysteric" and "Little Shadows." The former has been declared the best song on the record by numerous critics, and for good reason: it's dreamy, hazy electro-rock vibe combined with O's most personal, earnest lyrics of Yeah Yeah Yeah's career make the song a love letter to match 2003's "Maps" and possibly overtake it. O's gentle serenade of the chorus, "flow sweetly, hang heavy / you suddenly complete me, you suddenly complete me" complete the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' transformation from frosty punk rockers to empathetic pop auteurs.
"Little Shadows" is an atmospheric lullaby that closes the record as you'd expect it to be closed, with a placid sigh rather than a bang, a sublime, reflective summation of the album. "Gentle;" "reflective;" "lullaby;" these are hardly words I would have associated with Yeah Yeah Yeahs a few years ago, but given the band's penchant for change, it's not as surprising as it might be for some of their class-of-'03 peers like, say, the Strokes.
"Change or die" has often been a wise maxim to live by, and none have done it as well as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Zinner's characteristic guitar methods, drummer Brian Chase's rock-steady beats, and, most of all, Karen O's simple, relatable lyrics and practiced vocals have given the band repeated leases on life, and with It's Blitz!, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs look poised to enter a new decade as strongly as they roared into this one. We still have eight months to go in 2009, but already this year is shaping up to end the decade in brilliant musical style.It's Blitz Overview

Want to learn more information about It's Blitz?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...

Song Up in Her Head Review

Song Up in Her Head
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Are you looking to buy Song Up in Her Head? Here is the right place to find the great deals. we can offer discounts of up to 90% on Song Up in Her Head. Check out the link below:

>> Click Here to See Compare Prices and Get the Best Offers

Song Up in Her Head ReviewI found out about this album by being on the Sugar Hill Records mailing list and bought it three days ago. The songs have been "up in my head" ever since. This is a post-newgrass album, with acoustic instruments paying tribute to but never being constrained by bluegrass and folk/roots tradition. The album is as musically complex and precise as Nickel Creek was, which makes it a really smart record to listen to and stands in tribute to Jarosz' skills as a songwriter.
But what has the album stuck in my head and on repeat on my mp3 player is her beautiful singing voice. Such amazing control of her pitch, with almost no trace of vibrato, and somehow she makes it seem effortless. It's a deep, rich alto that reminds me at various moments of Fiona Apple, Melissa Swingle (Trailer Bride, The Moaners) and Karen Peris (Innocence Mission).
Her personal backstory -- being barely out of high school -- is fun and inspiring, but if someone played this album for you without telling you, you'd never know. Though her lyrics have the optimism and centeredness of youth, her voice sounds layered with 10 years of adulthood.
Come to Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, Ms. Jarosz, and I'll be in the front row. This is great work, and I look forward to your next albums.Song Up in Her Head OverviewSeventeen-year-old Texas native Sarah Jarosz emerged on the scene about five years ago as someone to watch.Jamming onstage with bluegrass icons David Grisman and Ricky Skaggs, she played her mandolin with a sure touch and real joy.It looked and sounded comfortable in her then twelve-year-old hands.She started writing songs on the guitar and took up the banjo.While her instrumentaltalents are formidable, let's make one thing clear: Sarahis a singer.Her voice is velvety smooth, agile, andpowerful, occasionally reminiscent of such disparate artists as Natalie Maines and Patty Griffin.

Want to learn more information about Song Up in Her Head?

>> Click Here to See All Customer Reviews & Ratings Now
Read More...