Brutally Honest Album Review: 2014 And Beyond....

Hey! Boy...has it been a while......



Clint here. This year has flown by so fast, it seems like yesterday I was writing the first review...
Well, many things have happened since. First off is my occupation.
If you don't know, I play fiddle in a Bluegrass/Power Acoustic Band called The Roys. We have had a fantastic year releasing a brand new album called The View as well as a Christmas album titled A Bluegrass Kinda Christmas. We had played in places such as California, Florida and up to Eastern Quebec just this year alone.
I haven't had time to listen to new material because of this. When we get in the studio, we play the songs and then once the album is released, we learn them. So, I have been practicing and listening to the songs we do. I have been listening to other albums, mostly classics and other odd stuff but not a whole lot of new material.
I have been getting some interesting stuff though: Twitter has been really interesting for this. I will be launching a twitter page exclusively for this blog.

Important: if you are a musician, please contact me! I will review your album. I have a few that I am in the process of listening to. Even today, I get around 60 views per week/per post. From places such Germany, Poland, Canada and U.S. 

By the way, this is incredible!!!!  60 views per week. I cant believe it. It's been such a huge success. Even though I haven't released a new post in nearly 6 months.

The writing the blog isn't the hard part, it's the listening to part. I cannot write a post every day because it's impossible for me to get a quality review out. So, I think 3 per week will be good. One every other day. I think you guys can agree with that, right? It's just me...if I only had help...

I'm hoping you'll stick with me for this new trip and forgive me for lack of communication.

So, here's what will happen:

+3 posts per week
+New Twitter Profile
+Accepting new music through a brand new application program to get your music out there

I am excited for this new chapter. I love playing fiddle, but I know you guys want to have new albums reviewed. I will do my best not to let you down, this time.

Thank you for being there :)


Clint

UPDATE: Twitter page is now up at twitter.com/BHAlbumReviews

Brutally Honest Album Reviews: Mariah Carey's Me. I Am Mariah

Mariah Carey is..I would say world famous. Her voice is one of the smoothest around. How does her latest, super long titled, album come in? Is it Boring, O.K. or Brilliant? Here is the Full review.

What I listened to: "Me. I am Mariah...The Elusive Chanteuse" By: Mariah Carey

How did I listen to it: 320 kbps on Apple EarPods

Release date: May 27th, 2014

Like I said: her voice is smooth. It's not just that, though. Her voice is huge too. Her vocal range is just crazy big and she uses it to the full advantage. Let's get right into it. The first song "Faded" mixes her smooth voice with the pointy-sounding pop beat. You boys should grab your lovely lady starting right about now because it's some good baby-making music. (Just kidding....well...unless you want to 😜)

It's piano arpeggios mixed with the hip-hop bass is very pleasant to the ears.

The second track, "Dedicated (Featuring Nash)" starts off with voices just laughing and reminiscing about the 80's. The hip-hop is great. The low male voice with Mariah's fits well with the low end synth pads. The "Carey-like Mariah" line isn't over done. The chord changes are different compared to other artists you would hear. It's well done. Then the rapping comes in. So funny. The idea of rapping is funny to me. But Nash does a job of what you would expect from a pop-mixed-with-hip-hop song. Pee-Wee Herman is mentioned. Yeah...that's why it's so funny to me. I can thank a good buddy of mine for showing me that.

The next track titled "#Beautiful (featuring Miguel)" has a cool guitar line to it. Yes. That's "hashtag beautiful". Aside from being very easy to post on twitter, this is a great song. I love it. The duet is #beautiful.  See what I did there? My favorite on the album by far. It's a very basic song but that is what makes it great. It will be stuck in your head for quite a while, no doubt about it.

"Thirsty" is one of those strange songs you would expect to hear on a hip-hop album. It has that one, rapper guy who can't really sing, but can say the same phrase in monotone. He says it with a slur, too. That makes it a little hard to understand. It's ok. It's just another catchy tune...only with Mariah Carey.

The next track, "Make It Look Good" is a retro sounding song. It has harmonica to it and her voice is nothing but great here. The "Oooohh's" are reminiscent of old 60's or 50's music. The bass and harmonica make this song into something that is very unique. She is making a new sound not done in mainstream audio. A laugh at the end makes you think she is having a great time producing this album. So far, I think she is because it shows.

About halfway through the album at this point, the song "You Don't Know What I Do" features a rapper named Wale. Starts off with beautiful piano and Mariah using almost the full extent of her voice. The classical influence continues with orchestrated licks between some of the phrases. This song reminds me of something from 14 years ago when I used to listen to whatever my sister had playing on the radio on the way to school. It has a retro, new sound. It's hard to explain but I really enjoy it. Wale isn't really in it. Just mainly the beggining and a bit at the end. The rapping is funny. He rambles what I'm sure is about sex but like all rap, he goes around the world and then lands close to where he was trying to. Yeah...typical rap. Nothing too fancy.

"Supernatural" features, I think her son? It would make sense. It's cute and just plain adorable. His laugh in the background every so often makes you go, Awwww!! It is strange though, because the song could be interpreted as something between a man and a woman. Not necessarily a woman and her child. A slight record scratch brings an interesting touch to this song. The key change sounded strange at first but after a few times of listening to it, it sort of became more natural sounding. She's just showing off her voice at this point. I want to say, "look Mariah, we know you can sing".

The kids voice at the end is, again, adorable. It made me smile every time.

"Meteorite" is the next track and it's a huge difference compared to the kid track before it. This is more upbeat and kind of boring. Her voice fits the simple melody and there really wasn't much she could do. That's okay though because we know she can sing. It's good to hear a song that we, vocal beginners, can sing along to. The use of an orchestrated string section is welcomed, as well.

Another cool R&B chord progression in "Camouflage" makes the cut. Her blended voice with the piano is beautiful. Simple and elegant. It's songs like these I love. No intense instrumentation. Just voice and piano. The most intense it gets is with a choir behind her but that's really about it. It's a very sentimental song. The writing is genius too. I don't know how hard it would be to write a song with her in mind, but I'm sure one would have endless possibilities due to her voice. It's another great cut on this record. You'll like this one.

"One More Try" features an church organ and some synth pads with a voice, again, that is just as beautiful. It turns into a nice hip-hop rhythm heavy song. This another simple, elegant melody. I think she uses autotune a bit heavy in this song though. It's a shame because she doesn't need it. Not sure why she would do it this far into the album.

The next song is a beautiful, gospel song. "Heavenly (No Ways Tired/Can't Give Up Now)" features a reverend preaching the Word. It's about having God help you through any problems and giving up is the easy way out. It features an interesting chord progression and a choir of voices, although I think it's Mariah overdubbing herself a few times. It's still a great tune. The only thing, she uses her voice a lot but it does get kind of annoying, a bit. I'm glad it goes into an actual choir singing later on the song. The Black Soul music is amazing, as you would expect.

Now, if you actually have a physical copy of the album in your hands, you can see the back of the record. It features a drawing of Mariah. You learn it's actually a self portrait. She was 3 1/2 years old when she drew it. Her story is one you'll enjoy as she describes it. I won't ruin what she says. It does give the impression that she is just like you and I-very down to earth. Only one thing though: she can sing better than most of us combined. This little voice bit ends the album on a high note. If you have the digital version, you'll be missing out. 

So..........is this album Boring, O.K. or Brilliant?

Verdict: Brilliant

From the soul, to the hip-hop, to the little boy singing into our hearts, this album is one not to pass on when it is released here in a few days. The vocal ability of someone who had more talent than most people on the radio today, are showcased in this album very well. The phrasing...everything. It's brilliantly made. She doesn't conform to the mainstreamed sound. It's her. Mariah. You'll love this album if you love her music. Even if you never really got into her music before now, give it a listen. You won't be disappointed. It's never to late to become a fan of her talent.

Brutally Honest Album Reviews: White Sea's In Cold Blood

It's the start of a new weekend, so why not review a new band? Today, I will review a band called White Sea. Their first project titled "In Cold Blood". I love new bands/artists because it usually consists of a sound nobody has heard of before. It's new and exciting. This band is one I didn't pass on. So, is this album Boring, O.K. or Brilliant? Here is the full review.

What I listened to: "In Cold Blood" By: White Sea
How did I listen to it: 320 kbps on Apple EarPods
Release Date: May 19, 2014

The alternative genre. What does that even mean? I look at it as a treasure chest of music. You'll find golden masterpieces, hidden gems and sometimes horrible shards. It's even more interesting when you find something never seen, or in this case heard, before. White Sea features a female lead singer (I love female singers) and she is nothing to slouch against. Boy, does she have pipes. That doesn't mean she can't get down either... The music in this album is a mix of electronic/pop that can have an 80's flare to it, with a hint of new age soft rock. It starts off with a choir of vocals. Titled "They Don't Know", it's an impressive start for unknown group. Your head will listen even closer when the drum beats skip behind the high melody. The bells are a great touch to the overall sound. It creates what I call this big sound most build up to for half a song. They go right into it at the first chorus. The second half goes into this pulsing electro beat before going full 4/4 time on us. Switching the beat changes it up and causes my musician-self to say "Whaaaaaat?!?" in amazement. What an first track.
The second track titled "Prague" continues the use of their vocals and breaks into a heavy distorted bass that is so distorted it enters the guitar area of sound. This hip-hop style of beat during the versus changes again to a 4/4 time during the chorus. They blend it so smoothly. Heading into an electroinic melodic scale for the bridge, this song breaks into a heavy song with synths and organ sounds. Again, my musician-self says "Whaaaat?!?" in amazement.
"Future Husbands Past Lives" is a more 80's inspired song. Her voice is great here. She fits perfectly. The sounds coming from the band is pure greatness.
There is one exception though... I'll explain in detail later.
"For My Love" Is an orchestrated song with piano and such in the background. It turns into an upbeat melody electronically driven.
"Warsaw" is one of those song that I have the problem with. I can't understand what se is saying. It's ok when shes in a normal vocal range but as soon as she goes high into falsetto, I lose her. I don't know if it's the mix or her voice. I cannot figure it out. This song is one of those songs. I have no idea what she is saying. After really listening to it, the lyrics in this album are not for the kids in your life...they get pretty vulgar. That's not to say the music is catchy and well done....I just can't understand her half the time. It's a pattern in this album they should address for the next record.
"Small December" is a beautiful tune. Acoustic guitar or a mandola is backed up by more strings. Her voice is beautiful in this song. Really shows emotion. It's different than the most of the album and makes this album. My favorite cut by far.
The second to last song on this album is an upbeat electric-rock song. Yes, we go from strings to this. I love the alternative genre. It's so intense. It covers a lot of bases so you never know what you'll be getting yourself into. Titled "Flash" it half beats mid-song. This is stuff not done by mainstream bands/artists today...it's nuts..it's crazy and can be very well received if done correctly. They do it with ease.
The last song titled "It Will End In Disaster" starts off kind of like the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" but goes into more strings and heavy drums. This song breaks down again and turns spacey all while going back into that heavy drums again-then turns into something totally different. It's like three or four songs in one. Just amazing.

So..........is this album Boring, O.K. or Brilliant?

Verdict: Brilliant.

I have had so much fun listening to this album. I can't believe it. The songs change with the album. They are different from each other but that is what makes them the same. It makes this band who they are. Their sound goes all over the place and it's a wonderful musical journey I hope you take too. This is what I mean when most artists should be creating the new sound, versus ones who are starting to go mainstream. There are too many songs on the radio that sound the same and it's becoming boring out there. These folks really make it worth while again. You will enjoy this album....when you can understand her. Just make sure you don't have kids because she drops a few swear words in there. The music, though, will make it totally worth it in the end.