Live Hart - Honesty

Live Hart – Honesty
2014, Goin’ Native Records

New Jersey-born singer/songwriter Live Hart cut her musical teeth as a member of pop group Urbanesque, but her primary focus has always been that of a singer/songwriter.  This aesthetic is wholly evident on Live Hart’s debut solo album, Honesty.  Hart weaves intricate tales and soundscapes throughout the ten songs on the album, with a dulcet voice and an intensely melodic musicality.  A soulful R&B influence in inherent in Hart’s sound, but her muse comes first, and listeners are the one to benefit. 

Honesty opens with a touch of Latin soul and pop in the form of “I’m Gone”.  The groove here is tremendous, and Hart’s voice is delicious ear candy.  It’s a brilliant open with significant chart possibilities.  Hart changes gears for “New Day”, utilizing cascading vocal layers to beautiful effect.  In spite of the difference in sound, the net effect is the same, a brilliant pop turn you won’t be able to get out of your head.  Hart digs into a stripped down sound on “Take Me” that grows into a vibrant folk/rock gem.  The chorus here is perfect pop radio, full of honest life and intensity and a tasty pop hook. 

“Please Don’t Say It’s Over” is a quietly pleading pop number that’s infectious in its rhythm and sound.  The most integral component here is Live Hart’s honey-tinged voice, dulcet and warm in tone and timbre.  She manages to navigate the corridors of pop music with a grace and class that allows her rise above the pack.  On “We Can Change the World” Live Hart takes a more generic path to a politically correct, socially activist message.   This is a popular and thoroughly overdone message in pop culture.  As a result, efforts in this direction need to be wildly original or extremely well done to stand out.  Neither is the case here.

Hart turns the corner on “Lala”, a quietly brilliant love song written from the perspective of gratefulness and grace.  The melody here is a thing of beauty, as live shares a moment of true intimacy with listeners.  “This Is Me” seems to grow out of “Lala”, but musically and generationally.  The same pop sensibility is there, but there is a slow growth in intensity and energy between the two.  Hart returns to a stripped down, guitar-driven arrangement for “What Is Love”, a musical-slow boat that grows into a low-key R&B gem.  Once again, it’s Hart’s voice that is the key driver here, but the entire piece is full of an esoteric beauty that is impossible to ignore.  “Summer Love” steps into a keener pop/rock sound and borrows its opening line (lyrically and musically) from John Waite.  Hart’s mix of pop sensibility and singer/songwriter aesthetic serves her well once again.  Honesty closes with “Release”, playing on the edges of popular hip-hop styles and essentially surrendering the unique high ground Live Hart spent the first nine songs of the album carving out.  This is a solid piece of writing, but it is by far the weakest track on the album.

Live Hart flashes brilliance on Honesty, with the sort of voice you just close your eyes and let wash over you.  Her songwriting has depth, and she blends that with a brilliant folk/pop sensibility that gets inside your head.  Honesty isn’t just a title but a mantra, and Hart lives it to the fullest.  This album should establish Live Hart as a songwriting and performing force to be reckoned with. 

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more at www.livehartonline.com. 

You can purchase Honesty via iTunes or Amazon.

Chloe Charles - Little Green Bud

Chloe Charles - Little Green Bud
2010, Chloe Charles

Put all of your preconceptions on hold. Chloe Charles bends them and breaks them. Her blend of folk, soul and classical music isn’t quite like anyone else you’ve heard. You’ll hear elements of Cat Power, Esthero and Portishead, but listen for the roots of Joan Armatrading, Janis Ian, Tracy Chapman and even Nick Drake deep beneath the surface. Charles’ next release, Little Green Bud is due out on September 21, 2010, and is a real charmer.

Little Green Bud opens with "The Heavens", a haunting baroque-pop tune marked by dark strings and atypical rhythms. Charles creates atmosphere with the noble beauty of her voice and vocal effects that add more depth to the sound. It's Charles' voice that stands out the most here, sounding like a wayward cross between Sade and Kate Bush. "Soon On A Snowflake" is a beautiful song of devotion, where Charles' poetry is nearly as striking as her voice. "Progression" is dark and full of angst and anger, calling out another who has caused her harm in mysterious language. "Water" is a lush musical experience that finds Chloe Charles layering vocals in counterpoint to a subversive string and electro arrangement that's a thing of beauty. Little Green Bud closes with "Salamander Red", a highly textured piece of baroque pop and recollection of love that gets lost in a lack of diction. Charles plays fast and loose with hard consonants throughout the EP, but here is very difficult to understand at times.

Little Green Bud shows a lot of promise from Chloe Charles. Her voice is striking; beautiful and atypical, rich and lush while possessive of the sort of vocal anomalies that create interest rather than discord. The compositions on Little Green Bud are highly original, blending pop sensibility with strings and an almost antique musical setting. Chloe Charles has the pipes to go far, and the performances on Little Green Bud indicate an artist who is very comfortable in her own shoes. Be certain that we'll be hearing more from Chloe Charles.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Chloe Charles at http://www.chloecharles.com/ or www.myspace.com/chloecharles. You can order copies of Little Green Bud directly from Charles on her website.

Review: Justyna Kelley - Over The Moon

Justyna Kelley - Over The Moon
2010, Iconique Music Group

Justyna Kelley grew up in Nashville, in a household where jam sessions were as much a part of family play time as anything else. Kelley appears to have been groomed for a career in music, but it's her passion for music that makes her special. Kelley's debut album, Over The Moon, features the sort of Country/Pop/Adult Contemporary crossover appeal you'd expect from Carrie Underwood, Shania Twain or Faith Hill. Produced by David Kershenbaum (Joe Jackson, Tracy Chapman), Kevin Killen (U2, Peter Gabriel, Shawn Colvin) and Guy Eckstine (Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jeff Lorber), Over The Moon features ten songs worth of smooth radio-friendly country/pop and rock.

Over The Moon opens with "Once In A While", a musical monologue from one who feels forgotten in a relationship. "Once In A While" is a classic modern country ballad; Kelley delivers the song with a grace and dignity that will surprise you. It's a great opening song that is likely to have mild radio success but will fit nicely into the wonderful world of licensing. "The One I Love" is a happy mid-tempo country/pop gem. This song could be a hit on either side of the Country/Pop divide, with a chorus that will get stuck in your brain and refuse to leave. Kelley has a cultured country alto voice that is appealing; just a hint of sultry attitude hidden behind a wall of sweetness that suggests "girl next door" qualities. "Pushover" finds Kelley drifting more into the realm of Rock N Roll in a kiss off song to a friend who isn't really. It's a song of strength, of standing up for yourself. Kelley's delivery is solid, but perhaps a bit short on the anger that runs through the song.

"Over The Moon" is full of the starlight and effervescence of new love. Kelley's smooth delivery can't diminish the utter joy this song conveys, and the sweet sound of her upper range perhaps makes the song even more endearing. This one could be a bonafide pop and country hit. "Shoulda Known" is the sort of generic Pop/Country that seems to do well on commercial radio but is quickly forgotten; a decent enough song but just not something that will stick with you. Kelley puts her pop shoes on for "Have You Seen Him?” combining elements of 1980's pop, rock and country for a solid tune with commercial legs. Kelley shines on the Diane Warren-penned "Life's Like That", navigating the soaring chorus with essential grace. Kelley says goodnight with "Emily", obsessing over her man's ex-girlfriend and whether she might still be on his mind. The song is an awkward closer, at best. I suspect it was included to show a different side of Justyna Kelley, but in the end it may have been more of a disservice to Kelley than anything else.

Justyna Kelley has a gorgeous voice, and reflects a poise and comfort on this recording that suggests a highly professional performer. Over The Moon suggests that no matter how pretty her voice may be, Kelley's isn't a powerful sound. This limits the range of material available to her, certainly, but not all of the material on Over The Moon was well chosen for her voice. Kelley can certainly deliver solid Pop tunes with appeal, and working in the circles she's in she's nearly guaranteed at least a modicum of success. Over The Moon has some strong moments, but never truly soars.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Justyna Kelley at http://www.justynakelley.com/ or www.myspace.com/justynakelley. No full album is availble yet, but you can download individual tracks from Justyna Kelley on Amazon.com.

Review: The Fools - Lost And Found

The Fools - Lost And Found
2009, The Fools

The Fools began their life together as soccer teammates at Rutgers University. Cleveland, Ohio's Jen Tobin (vox/guitar) and Tacoma, Washington's Uchenna Bright (bass) have a unique sound in the neighborhood of Tracy Chapman singing lead with Mazzy Star; mellow dramatics set to gentle acoustic/folk arrangements fill your ears with comforting sounds on The Fools' debut album, Lost And Found, release in June of 2009.

Lost And Found opens with Lullaby, beginning in the mellow tones of Mazzy Star or The Cowboy Junkies, but quickly adding an urgency that belies the gentle nature suggest by the song title. The Great Whale and Cosmic Love both falter under a lethargic feel. A Good Day finds The Fools raising the ante a bit with an upbeat hand-clapper you'll get into. For My Mother is a deeply introspective and warm tune that suffers from the extreme low-end approach to Lost And Found, but till somehow works in its own right. Part of the charm of The Fools is their low-key delivery, but it also becomes something of a curse. Between the melancholy performance style and the low-energy interpretations, The Fools run the risk of boring some listeners. Songs such as Even Fools Know, Folly and Lonely Days are more than just words and notes thrown together, but the homogeneous nature of the songs on Lost And Found will ultimately lead many listeners to give up on The Fools before they get through the whole album. If you check out The Well or The Song We Sang, consecutive tracks on the album, you may be hard pressed as first listen to tell them apart.

The Fools simply play it too safe to succeed on Lost And Found. Fair poetry is blended with strong musicianship and a pseudo-depressive affect to fuel The Fools' sound on Lost And Found. There is some good stuff here, but you might have to dig through the chaff to get there.

Rating: 2 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Fools at www.myspace.com/thefools_lostandfound, where you can purchase a copy of Lost And Found.

Review: Bunmi Adeoye - Paper Dolls, Glass Houses

Bunmi Adeoye - Paper Dolls, Glass Houses
2008, Bunmi Adeoye

Bunmi Adeoye (Boo-mee A-Day-Oh-Yeh) is a hopeless romantic, and one who has been scorned judging by the songs on her debut CD, Paper Dolls, Glass Houses. With the melodic sense of Carole King, the gritty truth-to-tell nature of Tracy Chapman and the vitriol of Ani DiFranco, Adeoye spins a web of tales that will hit home with anyone who's even been on the bad side of a breakup. The Toronto-based Adeoye lists influences as disparate as KT Tunstall, Damien Rice, Barbara Streisand, Judy Garland, WHAM!, Sade, and Harlequin romance novels.

The first thing you’ll notice about Adeoye is that she has a magnificently unaffected voice. I don’t know what sort of vocal training she’s had, but Adeoye sounds like a natural singer. There’s an earthy quality to her singing that sets the listener immediately at ease, and her tone is gorgeous without ever sounding garish. She is the sort of singer you could literally listen to all day long. Adeoye kicks of Paper Dolls, Glass Houses with Stop Lying, an emotionally, lyrically and melodically intense song representing one half of an argument in a relationship that’s going nowhere. The emotional edge here is palpable, and Adeoye’s voice makes it all the more believable. The song has a theatrical quality to it, almost as if you could build a show around it, but retains the Folk/Pop sense it was written in. Unbreakable Heart is a dance song that sounds like it might have come chronologically before Stop Lying, the urgent refrain of someone who will do anything to make a bad relationship work. Long Time Coming is an empowering song about throwing the bum out and works as a perfect prologue to the first two tracks.

Player Hate turns the tables on the players, in one of the hottest songs to emerge from the cauldron of 2008. Player Hate is blunt enough to make Ani DiFranco blush, and is the sort of song that could really break out on Pop/Urban radio. Tell Me is a Reggae-flavored pop song with a melody that just won’t stay out of your noggin. The harmonies here are downright gorgeous in their own right; this is another potential pop hit. Adeoye takes on the Barenaked Ladies’ What A Good Boy next, in an amazing cover of one of the band’s best non-singles. The song itself is about expectations and pre-conceived notions we grow up with around gender and the limitations they can place on us as we grow. It’s not an issue so much of overt sexism but the ideas so ingrained in our consciousness that we never think about them. Adeoye makes the most of a great song. Sad But True is a dark and beautiful song of detached mourning about a relationship the narrator could never win at. Adeoye’s vocal line here is striking and the harmonies are angelic. Adeoye closes out the album with a cover of Van Morrison’s Brown Eyed Girl. It’s a beautiful rendition, much slower and more contemplative than the original. Adeoye takes one last to shine on the vocals; a real pleasure to hear.

When I first listened to this album I was somewhat blown away; each successive listen has made that sense of “Whoa!” grow a bit. Bunmi Adeoye is a distinctive talent. She joins a cadre of strong, intelligent female singer songwriters (Tori Amos, Ani DiFranco, Tina Turner, Tracy Chapman, etc.) willing to, in turns, be tough, speak their mind, be vulnerable… just be themselves. Paper Dolls, Glass Houses is the sort of disc that grabs you on the first listen and tightens its grip a little on each successive play. Adeoye is a gem who should not stay hidden; she’s ready for the grand stage. Paper Dolls, Glass Houses is a distinctive find, a Wildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc, and an absolute must for your music collection. Make sure you check it out today!

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about Bumni Adeoye at http://www.bunmisings.com/, www.myspace.com/bunmisings or www.twitter.com/bunmisings. You can purchase a copy of Paper Dolls, Glass Houses at CDBaby.com.