Music Reviews by Kent Manthie<\/p>\n
Renee Zawawi<\/b> Legends<\/i> (Sapiens Records)
\n Pop-princess Renee Zawawi is a smart young woman; she has written a bunch of songs, recorded them and the result is \u201cLegends\u201d, her debut CD; 13 tracks of danceable exotic pop-phoria.
\n \u201cLegends\u201d is a CD with some vividly expressive vocal chords. It\u2019s syncopated Euro-style neo-disco with a tinge of the Middle Eastern to it, but mostly it\u2019s a dance-pop record that with a European flair to it, not too American sounding \u2013 which is a good thing as there is already too much homogeneity in American pop music. The music on this CD is not at all like the empty-headed drivel such as you\u2019d hear today if you turned on your local Star FM station \u2013 that horrible syndicated radio station that plays the bottom of the barrel, musically speaking, and repeats the same garbage over and over again all day long, infiltrating city after city in the US. You get none of that on \u201cLegends\u201d. Renee Zawawi is different; for one thing, she wrote her own songs, which makes for much more original-sounding songs as opposed to crap that\u2019s written by a music factory in Santa Monica.
\n Each person has their own unique, individual stories and experiences and their own personal ways of expressing them, so when someone, for instance, writes their own songs and sings them the music often tends to have something about it that\u2019s more honest, fresher and more original, you end up singing from the heart, as it were, your heart, because the words came from your own experiences and hopes and dreams, et cetera. In a nutshell, that explains the difference between an artist and an entertainer.
\n Ms. Renee has a pretty voice; an earnest childlike quality with a bubbly effusiveness, a cross between Bjork and Jane Wiedlin. \u201cOne Time in Italy\u201d is a lush pillow talk of a song, romantic to the core. \u201cReunion\u201d is a flashy dance number that I can picture pulsating out of the sound system at some hip nightclub in downtown Beirut. The song \u201cNever Knew\u201d has a Spanish flair to it, with castanets and track number 8, \u201cYou\u2019ve Got To\u201d has this simple kind of pleasure to it, something bright and shiny about it that appealed to me, but the last track, \u201cOn the Road\u201d is probably the strongest song, a mellow, straight-ahead personal song; a detour from the ebullience of the rest of the CD; a good way to close it out.
\n \u201cLegends\u201d had me under a spell, for one thing, I wasn\u2019t expecting to be very impressed, I\u2019m jaded, I guess, but soon I found myself getting into it; the way each song segues into the next one kept me listening longer and longer. I\u2019m not sure what, but something about \u201cLegends\u201d was both exciting and soothing at the same time, perhaps it was this very trait that had its hold over me. Website \u2013 click here: http:\/\/www.reneezawawi.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Single Cell Orchestra<\/b> Celldom V.2: Arc<\/i> (Cyberset Music)
\n Lay back, relax, let your mind wander and let us do the thinking for you. Yeahhhhhhh \u2013 mellow as hell and hypnotic to the bone, baby \u2013 that\u2019s the essence of \u201cCelldom V.2: Arc\u201d, the fascinating new release by Single Cell Orchestra. \u201cCelldom\u2026\u201d takes the listener on a spring vacation of the mind, inducing a droning euphoria that can\u2019t be beat. Take two \u2018ludes and call me in the afternoon.
\n I was hooked from the get-go on \u201cCelldom\u2026\u201d Its entrancing reveries were droning on and on and I was just buggin\u2019 out, loving it. It\u2019s not a dance record, it\u2019s more drone\/ambient \u2013 not a repetitive drone, but a meandering, noodling introspective thingy. I fell in love with pure pleasures like \u201cLullaby\u201d, \u201cDeep in it\u201d and \u201cCathexis\u201d, just three examples of the brilliance of Single Cell Orchestra. \u201cCelldom\u2026\u201d is a must-have for all you fans of German ambient stuff like Faust and Can.
\n For you fiends, the website can be had by clicking here: http:\/\/www.cyberset.cc \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Music from the Edge Volume One: a Cyberset Music Compilation CD<\/i><\/b>
\n The title says it all \u2013 \u201cMusic from the Edge\u201d is a sampling of the roster at Cyberset Music, an indie label that specializing in glowing ambient thrills; each track is done by a different Cyberset artist but the songs all melt into one another perfectly, each track absorbs the space around it and actually becomes part of the environment. A couple of highlights: track 5, \u201cPurple and Orange\u201d by Welder goes on and on, a pleasure drone with a tense undercurrent; \u201cSufi Swirl\u201d is a multicolored hue that is anathema to not dancing; also \u201cEffigy\u201d by hands upon black earth \u2013 this one relentlessly throbs with an undulating pulse \u2013 careful, it\u2019s contagious! Our friends Single Cell Orchestra also make an appearance here with a track called \u201cFebru-Wary\u201d, a super-duper hedono-poppy mix. It\u2019s a great showcase of some interesting new sounds as well as a great mix CD in itself that will entertain and inspire at the same time; use it for your meditation workout. http:\/\/www.cyberset.cc \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
In Every Breath<\/i><\/b>
\n This is a tight album of some slick metal-ish rock. In Every Breath have a kind of glossy sheen; a brightly lit presence. Their eponymous debut is a short, sharp shock of stuff \u2013 three tunes to whet your appetite and to be ready for the big full-length release whenever they get around to recording it. The first cut \u201cFades to Red\u201d is a power-jam, a tightly reined uber-cut. Song #2, \u201cShards\u201d holds steady; it\u2019s a little slower, a moody rocker that you can swoon to. The final piece, \u201cDistrust\u201d is a heady work, for my money the best tune on here; it\u2019s the perfect way to end this little sampling. Keep your ears to the ground, this is just a teaser, I\u2019m sure they have many more things in the works. Check \u2018em out at their MySpace page, http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/ineverybreathmusic – KM.<\/p>\n
Eight Minutes to Twilight<\/b> Fairlanes Avenue<\/i> (Zissou Records)
\n The horn that interpolates in and out of the music on \u201cFairlanes Avenue\u201d adds such a beautiful melancholia to it. I was in a real lethargic, empty mood when I listened to this CD for the first time and it was the perfect soundtrack to my disposition at the moment, it didn\u2019t grate or bore or annoy, it just was the perfect atmosphere and flowed smoothly through my brain.
\n Eight Minutes to Twilight is the brainchild of two Joshes: Messrs. Wright & Howard, a couple of San Diegans who have ditched the typical power-pop vacuity that is associated with Southern California and instead have focused on introverted, emotive compositions that are pleasing musically as well as lyrically apt. \u201cFairlanes Avenue\u201d is their greeting to the world; it says \u201cHere I am; I hope you\u2019ll like me, but please don\u2019t get too close and smother me\u2026\u201d The sad English horn noodles throughout the opener, \u201cCollision\u201d and really complements the sentiments well. The stark, quietude of \u201cGoodnight Prayers\u201d is haunting. It\u2019s a shivering, lonely cry in the dark and then \u201cMatt\u201d picks up a tad, bringing a hopeful bit of optimism to bear.
\n While the ethos and attitude is rock \u2018n\u2019 roll, the music isn\u2019t brash, ebullient or jarring; it\u2019s more of a brooding, cerebral crooning and a plaintive cry for some kind of release from whatever pain it was born from. Fortunately, though, its wryness and coy jadedness, reminiscent of the hip smugness of Ben Folds, keep \u201cFairlanes Avenue\u201d from sounding like so much dirge music. But, really, there\u2019s something about this that will not fit in a box so it\u2019s very hard to pin any kind of label on it, I mean, it\u2019s not really rock, per se, but neither is it folk nor jazz, country, soul nor R & B, it\u2019s just honest, bare music and that is so refreshing for a change! To get more information about these guys go to http:\/\/www.zissourecords.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n
Savu Sea<\/b> The River Light<\/i>
\n Savu Sea are the epitome of kaleidoscopic freak-outs; their psychedelic brand of wow-pop is just the most refreshing thing for a jaded cynic like myself who thought that this sort of creative artistry was dead in the rock & roll world. For instance, they have recently recorded a magnificent album that they entitled \u201cThe River Light\u201d. It starts out with a real psychedelic workout (\u201cShape Unknown\u201d) and from there passes through several different doors, each one containing bigger and better stuff. The singer reminds me, with his deep baritone voice, of the vocalist from Kitchens of Distinction and you know, Savu Sea\u2019s music is not all that different than KoD either. At least it\u2019s a good point of reference; however, Savu Sea are a uniquely original band, except for that voice, they have an unmatchable prettiness, songs that are so lush and beauteous that you can\u2019t turn away; you\u2019re stuck, you\u2019re spellbound, as in the immortal track #8, \u201cThe Needles Eye\u201d a broad field of green grass with a warm breeze blowing through your hair, shaded by an hibiscus tree \u2013 this is probably the best tune on \u201cThe River Light\u201d but then again, I could change my mind in a couple days. _ Oh I don\u2019t know, there are a million different things I could say about these guys, but what I want to get across is their sound. It\u2019s a great thing to finally start hearing some new music, some truly new music, not just a retooling of the same damn emo-pop-teen-angst kind of crap. This is a real treat to hear! In one way it harkens back to the golden age of music \u2013 the 1960s – in that they are captivated by their own sounds and want to please themselves even more and so keep striving to be better and better and when they blow their own minds then you know they\u2019re ready to blow your mind. It used to be about being as unique as possible and trying not to sound like the other guys. Unfortunately, nowadays most of the music business is just like the car business: the first original thing to come around that is popular and sells well is just copied en masse by everyone else until the whole world is homogeneous and you can\u2019t tell one thing from another. Savu Sea said \u201cno thanks\u201d to that kind of fraud and went their own way \u2013 I applaud that. Website: http:\/\/www.savuseamusic.com \u2013 KM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Music Reviews by Kent Manthie Renee Zawawi Legends (Sapiens Records) Pop-princess Renee Zawawi is a smart young woman; she has written a bunch of songs, recorded them and the result is \u201cLegends\u201d, her debut CD; 13 tracks of danceable exotic pop-phoria. \u201cLegends\u201d is a CD with some vividly expressive vocal chords. It\u2019s syncopated Euro-style neo-disco with a tinge of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[566],"class_list":["post-315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive","tag-music-reviews-61307-by-kent-manthie"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":352,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2007\/09\/08\/renee-zawawi-dvd-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":315,"position":0},"title":"Renee Zawawi DVD review","author":"admin","date":"September 8, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"[DVD review] Renee ZawawiDVD Review by Kent Manthie The lovely and talented Renee Zawawi has just released a DVD \u2013 it is a collection of videos; music from the two CDs of hers that are currently out: \u201cOne Time in Italy\u201d and \u201cLegends\u201d. The videos are flashy, romantic vignettes; fantasy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2702,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/08\/25\/wow-look-at-all-these-new-cds-worth-checking-out-ma\/","url_meta":{"origin":315,"position":1},"title":"new music reviews, eightfourseven, Buck Gooter, cheater pint …","author":"Kent","date":"August 25, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"The Experiments What Kind of Animal Review by Sean Ross The Experiments latest and free album What Kind of Animal quickly asserts itself as pop-punk teeming with classic sounds familiar to the tortured underage urban wanderers of the late seventies and early eighties\u2014only, much tighter and impressive, more now. Songs\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1329,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2009\/09\/18\/new-music-chubbed-up\/","url_meta":{"origin":315,"position":2},"title":"New Music: Chubbed Up","author":"admin","date":"September 18, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"The Bigfellas Chubbed Up Bigfellas Productions (DIY) 2009 Reviewed by Kent Manthie From the absurd to the sublime is not that thick of a line. With that in mind, consider the new album from San Diego\u2019s own Bigfellas, a quartet of dudes: Shay, Tim, Shaun and Charlie. With Chubbed Up,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"chubbed up","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/kent\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/09\/chubbed-up1-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":142,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2006\/09\/11\/cd-reviews\/","url_meta":{"origin":315,"position":3},"title":"CD reviews","author":"admin","date":"September 11, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"new CD reviews by Kent Manthie UBZORB (s\/t) (Cordhead Recordings) One cool tune on this record is track 5: \u201cSize Mick\u201d, the chorus: \u201cSeismic waves and Cosmic Rays\/destroy the maze\u2026\u201d Cool, huh, so California. Apocalyptic visions of a California bursting at the seams, earthquakes, fire, death, destruction \u2013 constant reference\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "archive"","block_context":{"text":"archive","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":926,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2009\/06\/20\/new-music-joan-of-arc-trespassers-william-worriedaboutsatan-reviews-by-kent-manthie\/","url_meta":{"origin":315,"position":4},"title":"Joan of Arc, Trespassers William, worriedaboutsatan ~ By Kent Manthie","author":"admin","date":"June 20, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"New Music Reviewsreport my Kent Manthie Joan of Arc: Flowers Polyvinyl Records, 2009 Legendary Chicago scenesters, Joan of Arc, have just released Flowers, their latest CD. Amazingly it is another brilliant, innovative and unique (which goes without saying) album. In 2007 JOA put out Boo! Human an equally great CD\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3055,"url":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/2010\/10\/20\/check-this-pretty-lady-out\/","url_meta":{"origin":315,"position":5},"title":"Check this pretty lady out… Malanna Monroe","author":"Kent","date":"October 20, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Malanna Monroe A Musical Reflection of Your Light Self Released, 2010 myspace.com\/malanna Reviewed by Kent Manthie Hailing from Tennessee, USA, but with stops along the way in Detroit and Louisiana. Her new CD, a refreshing little DIY thing called A Musical Reflection of Your Light, is out now and a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "music"","block_context":{"text":"music","link":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/category\/music\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A Musical Reflection of Your Light","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/10\/malanna-pic.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/reviewermag.com\/press\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}