Skip to main content

Natalie Estes - 20/20 Vision (2017)



OFFICIAL: http://natalieestes.com/
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/natalieestesmusic/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/natalieestes94

Written by Robert Elgin, posted by blog admin

The EP 20/20 vision from Nashville born Natalie Estes is a four song collection marking the emergence of a musical and vocal talent nearly unparalleled in recent history. This young lady has emerged from near obscurity to create a work that touches on a variety of bases while still maintaining the necessary consistent to ensure that listeners keep coming back for more. It’s all the more remarkable of a release considering that Estes, initially, seemed on a different path. Her time as a dancer likely influences her intuitive sense of what her performances require for maximum success, but she pushes the bar further than that with her evocative and often dramatic phrasing that never robs the spotlight from the instrumentalists. There is no predominant musical force on 20/20 Vision. Instead, everything seems geared to frame her voice in the best possible way and works splendidly towards serving that end.

“Until I Do” begins the EP on a strong high note.  This is a heated, but appropriately understated, piece that has perfectly orchestrated dramatic flow. Estes tailors her voice to the rising and falling of the music with a sure, confident touch and her emotive phrasing helps bring to life a relatively familiar lyric in a new, refreshing way. It’s musically dependant on piano and percussion, but the former manifests as much percussive quality as any of the song’s drumming. “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” manifests a different aspect of her sound – this is top shelf pop, but never goes in for pandering and, instead, strikes a big band note with strong shades of R&B bleeding through. The production helps bring this number to even more robust life – it practically leaps out of the speakers and shows great, across the board balance.

“Reminds Me of You” is cut from a little more a traditional cloth than the earlier numbers  and certainly has a gentler musical slant. Estes manifests the same gentleness with her vocal, but there’s still much here that speaks to her individual talents and reshapes familiar forms into something new. There’s a nice edge to her voice on this tune that definitely prevents it from ever slipping into traditionally sophomoric pop balladry. “Bad Game” closes 20/20 Vision with a lot of verve and has that same finesse characterizing much of the EP, but a sharper tempo that concludes 20/20 Vision on a decidedly uptempo note. It’s a great finale to a brief collection that, despite its short length, shows impressive maturity and artistic development. Natalie Estes hits it out of the park with 20/20 Vision and sets the table nicely for her future.

Grade: A
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Yam Haus - Stargazer (2018)

OFFICIAL : http://www.yamhaus.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www. facebook.com/yamhaus TWITTER: https://twitter.com/YAMHAUSBand Written by Raymond Burris, posted by blog admin Yam Haus’ debut album Stargazer begins in rousing fashion. The title song opens the album with a short flurry of synthesizer sounds before shifting into stomping guitar and drum driven verses. The slashing guitar work gives the song a great deal of bounce while the drumming contrasts that with straight forward power and Lars Pruitt’s smooth, gliding vocal tone provides the finishing touch for the track. The lyrics don’t remake the wheel or aspire to poetic excellence, but they are a cut above typical fare in this style. “West Coast” has a much more retro slant than the title song, definitely recalling the 1980’s moreso than recent history, but it never looks back to that music too reverentially. The production distinguishes this song, like it does the album across the board, and has a physically engag...
Post a Comment
Read more

Astronomique - Sharp Divide (2018)

OFFICIAL: http://www.astronomiquemusic.com FACEBOOK:   https://www.facebook.com/astronomiqueband/ TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Astronomiques INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/astronomiques/ BANDCAMP: https://astronomique.bandcamp.com Written by Laura Dodero, posted by blog admin Astronomique return to the fray with their first full length release following up on a pair of successful EP releases establishing them as a major force in synth pop today. Their ten song outing Sharp Divide covers an impressive breadth of sound while remaining internally consistent and tied together by unity of sound and themes. Lead singer Logan Andra Fongemie and guitarist Sean Hogan are the primary creative movers behind the project, but they are ably accompanied by a powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Preston Saari and drummer Mitch Billings. The rhythm section makes it presence felt on every song but, ultimately, the heart of the album lies with the conceptual and music...
Post a Comment
Read more

Julia McDonald - Gravity (2016)

OFFICIAL: http://www.juliamcdonaldmusic.com/ FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/juliamcdonaldmusic Written by Jay Snyder, posted by blog admin A 6-track indie/pop/dub spectacle is the fruit of Julia McDonald’s hard musical labor.   The songstress writes her own material and, at 19, is chasing and reaching her artistic goals with immense hunger.   This sweet vibration emanating from these six songs definitely have the pop hooks to catch a lot of ears, but those who listen closely will hear some other sounds developing in her arsenal that sets her apart from the crowded pack.   The title track is all about feeling and how to build on it; beginning as a lone keyboard/vocal arrangement that benefits from an acoustic interjection or two, as the structure of the song congeals digital beats push the chorus to great heights and everything settles into place. It showcases McDonald’s talent for wringing all that she can out of a vocal melody or musical arrangem...
Post a Comment
Read more