REVIEWS by Michael “Jacobs” McKenna LINA FOURO “The Love Cycle” There is a lady who came to the great white north of Toronto, Canada from The Iranian Underground Scene where she had recorded a single, “Take Your Love Back” to pursue her love of music and learn the entertainment industry in a society where you are not judged because of your politics, gender or religious views. She has passion, she has drive and yes, she is bold! Her love of psychology and the human way of how it’s done gives her the basis for some of her creativity. Her debut CD, “The Love Cycle” was born as an outlet for Lina to express her knowledge of the Kubler-Ross model in her music as it relates to the stages of love and loss, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. She is well versed in all of these as she has experienced them all firsthand! Lina stated, “I found myself in all these places and have written a collection of my experiences. Through it all, I’ve just realized life is a cycle of love and this album rides on all emotions one can feel.” It is through this that I can see where she finds her inner strength and moral fortitude. Her background in Criminology also allows her to get into Cognitive Behaviors and Criminal Thinking Errors which also find their way into her lyrical thought patterns. Juno-Award winning producer Lonnie Szoke lends his expertise on these 13 unique tracks that cross seamlessly into the Progressive Pop, Funk, Dance and House genres. This effort opens with her new single, “Boom”, that’s laced with a bit of that retro bubblegum flavor from the 70’s with a dash of
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techno. How cool is that! The video is ‘The Bomb’! “Bang, Bang Baby” has a fat funky bottom that adds so much to the percussion and synth. She has the voice of an Ariana Grande combined with a bit of Katy Perry. WOW! “A Little More” is a monster! I would love to hear a blasting club remix of this, especially on her rap outro. I def can hear some Above & Beyond in here. AWESOME! “Again” maintains that high energy level and showcases that wonderful set of pipes! The ending breaks down superbly! “Down” talks about darkness in a way that exposes her hurt. The techno explosion at the bridge enhances her vox expertly and then takes it back down again to almost an a capella. The guitar solo rocks hard! WAY COOL! “Do or Die Mode” digs into a situation when the dude uses his lines on the dance floor. “Do or Die Mode, what do you see, If anything’s left, well nothing’s for free..” These lyrics are BANGIN’! “High” is just totally the real thing. This should make programmers at I Heart Media and their CHR outlets soil their shorts bigtime! Do I hear NEXT SINGLE? “Before” opens with a sinister sounding synth, screaming riffs and a pounding snare that morphs into a Euro/Alt sound that gives me a taste of those angelic pipes that are somewhat suggestive. “Funk” kicks it into high gear with that electro-bass backing the 138 BPM rhythm that would fill any dance floor instantly. This is another candidate for a club remix! “Always Falling” attacks you from the door and pins you to your seat. This house track KICKS ASS! “Love” takes the urban/rap route that hears the line “L O V E, saying that you love me, but I think it’s just a crush”. The dude’s rap is ‘off the wall’ HOT! “In Time” defies description, it’s that good. If radio doesn’t pick up on this, it their damn loss! If I was still programming, I’d be all over this in a heartbeat! EXCELLENT! The final track, “Delamhaust” has a bit of a retro/mod sound with the effects and the stylish vocal arrangement with
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