Production Lyrics Music Vocals Musicianship
Production Lyrics Music Vocals Musicianship
Production Lyrics Music Vocals Musicianship
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9 8 8 8 8
9 7 7 8 8
Ileina
The Carolyn Sills Combo
Contact: ileinamusic@gmail.com Web: ileina.com Seeking: Publicity, Film/TV Style: Singer/Songwriter, Soul
Contact: anothercarolyn@gmail.com Web: carolynsills.com Seeking: Booking, Film/TV, Label Style: Americana
We were instantly spellbound by Ileina, whose intimate, soulful voice and deeply felt messages, coupled with celestial ambient tones and smart, subtle arrangements, took us on a journey. “I Find,” a song about self-realization, epitomizes a purity of tone that made us listen to her every word. Reverbed piano accompanies her on the haunting “Sleeping,” which urges “no more sleeping” in its theme of awakened sensibilities. The artist’s soulful phrasing evokes Sia and Adele and the recording proves that understatement can speak volumes. Ileina gets inspirational and utopian on “Truth,” a lighter, gospel choir-infused effort. Though she could push her voice to even higher limits, Ileina is already at a lofty level.
The five-piece Carolyn Sills Combo brings plenty of vitality and good humor to their vintage retro-country/western setup, all topped off by Sills herself, whose crisp, rangey voice is the ideal icing on a sweet, sparkling cake. The entire band––singer to guitars to drums––is captured with a generous hand on the warm, wet reverb spigot. “Big Canoe” delivers a dose of silly fun; “Rotary Phone Blues” (“feelin’ alone as a rotary phone”) shows the band at its most amiable, while “Even Villains Once Were Babies” has serious undertones in a cautionary tale of poor child-rearing. All in all, Sills & Co. are a tight pro unit, perfect for bookings, but also should be considered for film/TV opportunities.
Production Lyrics Music Vocals Musicianship
9 8 8 8 9
repel the robot
X.A.B.
Contact: repeltherobot@gmail.com Web: repeltherobot.com/music Seeking: Label, Mgmt, Booking, Film/TV Style: Alt-Rock, Electronic, Pop
Contact: xabmusic@gmail.com Web: officialxab.com Seeking: Label Style: Hip-Hop
Dallas, TX duo repel the robot are working at a high level as writers, producers and arrangers to create a fun, dynamic altrock sound that’s infused with electronic touches, including an fx’d vocal shimmer that is the band’s signature. A funky, upbeat guitar riff propels “Feels Damn Good” and it made us feel damn good to hear this tune as it blossomed into an infectious dance groove. “Cold War Kid” showcases the duo’s love of cool keyboard tones (such as a wailing, squealing mellotron) that spice up and sweeten the catchy “we’re so close yet so far away” chant. We feel that “This Time Tomorrow,” though it is artfully arranged, could be a single if only it were trimmed and condensed a bit.
Not your run-of-the-mill hip-hop artist, X.A.B. is more about the mischief than the menace. The catchy “Bubblegum” exemplifies his funny, sexy take on male/ female relations, obsessing on the sweet n’ sugary lips of his woman (despite the tongue-lashing she gives him) and what he feels when her big pink bubble goes “pop!” Though the song’s beat is basic, the artist boosts it with plenty of bips and beeps. More serious is “Growing Pains,” which rides a slurring synthesizer riff as he flows about the contradictions and frustrations that arise as we grow up. The boasting “We Don’t Feel That” treds familiar ground but its oft-repeated hook chant, a put-down of a laundry list of dislikes, is a winner.
Production Lyrics Music Vocals Musicianship
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John Thayer
Christiana Grace
Contact: maelstrompr@gmail.com Web: johnthayermusic.com Seeking: Film/TV Style: Indie Pop
Contact: christiana.lorin@gmail.com Web: christianagrace.com Seeking: Publishing Deal Style: R&B, Pop
Though we’re split on the merits of John Thayer’s mannered raspiness, we all admire the pop-rock harmonies he achieves on his well-produced and craftily composed songs. What strikes you is his versatility, with each song exuding a markedly different feel: “Face to Face” rises to a critical mass of dreamy voice and guitar blends with a solid chorus hook. Much heavier and darker is “Not Afraid,” which Thayer sings with a brooding confidence. “Really Doesn’t Matter” rides a jangly melancholy that’s a dead ringer for Tom Petty. In fact, it is the soundalike quality of that recording, together with Thayer’s ability to craft polished, versatile pop songs, that indicate he’s well cut out for film/TV work.
Christiana Grace kicks off her churning “Take A Fall” with the chorus, cutting right to the chase. The song’s production creates an echoing hall of mirrors, all of which can sound cool, but the overall effect overshadows Grace’s impressive vocal tones. In “If I Have Your Heart,” she’s a woman in the throes of a rocky relationship, while in “Ease My Pain” the artist seems to find her perfect situation––a dance-pop song. Starting with just her dusky voice, a raw piano and ambient sounds, the tune graduates to a surging dance number hampered by trite lyrics. Grace has a lovely, husky voice and alluring sonic visions; we urge her to team up with a provocative lyricist who can bring more dimension to her material.
Production Lyrics Music Vocals Musicianship
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Music Connection’s executive committee rates recorded music on a scale of 1 to 10. Number 1 represents the lowest possible score, 10 represents the highest possible score. A final score of 7 denotes a solid, competent artist. For more information, see Submission Guidelines on the next page. 48 August 2016
musicconnection.com