Independent Artist Aid - Hope Never Dies: Artists

INDEPENDENT ARTIST AID - HOPE NEVER DIES - Album reviews

Coming Soon.

Individual artist/song reviews:

01 - Robin Frederick - Water Falls Down
02 - Laine - Close The Door
03 - John Paul Sharp - Perhaps Just Maybe
04 - Frankie Ho - Neptune Retrograde
05 - Peter Kearns - What The Angel Said
06 - Woodstock Taylor - Happening
07 - Richard Kapp - Wait And See
08 - Suede Pudding - A Note That's Just You
09 - Steve Ison - I Know A Good Thing
10 - Charas - Too Late
11 - Stoopid Genius
12 - isenho - Shining Star
13 - Back Bone Shiver - No Excuses
14 - Jose O'Cohen - To Learn To Love
15 - The Box - Pretty Little Birdy
16 - Elvis Ate My Goat - I Gotta Know
17 - Sachi - Lost In My World

unless otherwise attributed, the reviews below were received as part of the blind peer-reviewing system at garageband.com. Many of the contributors to Hope Never Dies met as a result of this process, and in some cases as a direct result of the reviews shown here.

all reviews below were received prior to the songs' inclusion on the compilation CD Independent Artist Aid - Hope Never Dies.

1 - Robin Frederick - USA - Water Falls Down
a standout achievement
"Robin Frederick's WATER FALLS DOWN is an intoxicating work, a standout achievement in contemporary songwriting and production. The lyrics are haunting and intriguing poetry; the music is engaging with a Sting-like sophistication; Robin's voice is beautifully gentle and mysterious... The production values are nothing short of gorgeous. "
Stephanie Bennett, Harpworld Music Co. ~

mystical and evocative
"I love it! Musically mystical and evocative with enough body grounding groove to balance it. Lyrically cliche-free with some profound observations. ... effortlessly walks the road between emotion and intellect, the abstract and concrete."
John Braheny, author, The Craft And Business Of Songwriting ~

	INDEPENDENT ARTIST AID - HOPE NEVER DIES - Album reviews Coming Soon.
	Individual artist/song reviews: 01 - Robin Frederick - Water Falls Down 02 - Laine - Close The Door 03 - John Paul Sharp - Perhaps Just Maybe 04 - Frankie Ho - Neptune Retrograde 05 - Peter Kearns - What The Angel Said 06 - Woodstock Taylor - Happening 07 - Richard Kapp - Wait And See 08 - Suede Pudding - A Note That's Just You 09 - Steve Ison - I Know A Good Thing 10 - Charas - Too Late 11 - Stoopid Genius 12 - isenho - Shining Star 13 - Back Bone Shiver - No Excuses 14 - Jose O'Cohen - To Learn To Love 15 - The Box - Pretty Little Birdy 16 - Elvis Ate My Goat - I Gotta Know 17 - Sachi - Lost In My World unless otherwise attributed, the reviews below were received as part of the blind peer-reviewing system at garageband.com. Many of the contributors to Hope Never Dies met as a result of this process, and in some cases as a direct result of the reviews shown here. all reviews below were received prior to the songs' inclusion on the compilation CD Independent Artist Aid - Hope Never Dies.
	1 - Robin Frederick - USA - Water Falls Down a standout achievement "Robin Frederick's WATER FALLS DOWN is an intoxicating work, a standout achievement in contemporary songwriting and production. The lyrics are haunting and intriguing poetry; the music is engaging with a Sting-like sophistication; Robin's voice is beautifully gentle and mysterious... The production values are nothing short of gorgeous. " Stephanie Bennett, Harpworld Music Co. ~ mystical and evocative "I love it! Musically mystical and evocative with enough body grounding groove to balance it. Lyrically cliche-free with some profound observations. ... effortlessly walks the road between emotion and intellect, the abstract and concrete." John Braheny, author, The Craft And Business Of Songwriting ~ back to top
	2 - Laine - USA - Close The Door Amazing Song! Singer is full of passion and overwhelming sadness; you can hear the heartbreak in her voice. Piano is beautiful, as is the melody. I love the choir singing in the background- it adds a lot of depth. bridge is really beautiful and moving, I almost cried at the 'so beautiful' part. is that a tabla? nice touch! Great production on this- i like the rhythm parts- everything is very well done on this. I love the last note. It's about time Well YOU CAN SING, love your vocals, great vocal timbre, wonderful pitch, passion is certainly felt and heard. Harmonies are well done and really fit the pocket. Wonderful flowing melody, great performance... Great stripped down song. You really hit some nice notes here, and I feel that power of your voice... I've been listening to Josh Groben as of late and I think thats what I am hearing, a classical crossover on this piece... Nice, very nice. back to top
	3 - John Paul Sharp - Perhaps Just Maybe Orchestral Maneuvers in the Heart This track grabbed me immediately with masterful arrangement of realistic orchestral sounds. The melodic content is catchy and just makes me feel happy..there is a subtle hint of gloom in the mood. The singer has great range and pitch, his voice is full of passion and soul, his lyrics are reflective and heartfelt. The overall mix is sonically exquisite. I love the textural experimentations toward the end of the song...they add yet another welcomed addition of colour to this full track. You have to give this a listen! amazing voice The violin work here is amazing, and I like the guitar work too. And the voice takes this track, and really brings it to a new level. ...This would be great for a techno dance remix and it would rock the club. This voice has a future, good work. ...oh yea and like the effects at the end back to top
	4 - Frankie Ho - Neptune Retrograde Waterfall ritual A feeling of nostalgia crawls over my skin as I reminesce in various fantasy books read over the years. This piece is soothing. While I like to avoid the frequently asked question of what artists do I/we sound like, I can tell you that I think this is a wonderful ambient soundtrack piece that would enhance many a movie or game. I think it is more important to ask, "How Does It Sound?" This piece sounds mysterious and intriguing. It pulled me into a trance as I mulled over thoughts of magic and enchantment. Deep Inside Silence This project takes a page out the Northaunt book. The guitar riff carefully places itself behind the unknown utterings of the vast nature surrounding it. The woodwinds complement a pad wth slow attack to add a compulsive injection of forlorn emptiness deep inside of the listener. There are few filters present here, as the woodwinds and guitar dominate the mix, with the hiss of feeble winds in the background hovering over and beside the mix. Phenomenal ambience. back to top
	5 - Peter Kearns - What The Angel Said Divine inspiration This is absolutely superb. Darkly cheesy, dramatic, poetic, harmonically adventurous - it's going straight on my playlist as soon as I finish this review. A backwards intro reflecting the piano part that follows leads into what you think is going to be a straightforward angel ballad in the style of Billy Joel. Almost immediately some seriously nifty chord changes disabuse you of that notion (not that Joel doesn't have those too, they're just different) and things take a dramatic turn as the harmonies and textures darken under an expertly turned melody. Gloriously ominous strings, perfect vocal harmonies and mysterious lyrics combine beauty and unease with inspired expertise - the flattened 2nd in melody and harmony lines providing the door to another musical dimension. The singer's voice works perfectly in both upper and lower registers, contrasting well and expressing the lyric so convincingly you feel it's your experience too. A real musician. This reminds me very strongly of something I've heard before but I can't put my finger on what. In any case it doesn't matter because it's perfect as it is - one of the most original pieces of music I've heard on Garageband so far - a mini-epic in precisely 3 and a half minutes, with a tingle factor of 10 out of 10. back to top
	6 - Woodstock Taylor - Happening No reviews yet back to top
	7 - Richard Kapp - Wait And See No reviews yet back to top
	8 - Suede Pudding - a note that's just you Good stuff Good songwriting! Well played, good singer with an 'I'm talking to you' voice. Nice melody, good arrangement. Each section is well distinguished from the other, an apparently dying art called structure. ... Kewl chordings, too. Good job. nice melody! Really easy listening track, very smooth. I love the chord progression and the female backing vocals. Male vocal have a very warm tone, i like that. This could be on the soundtrack of a smooshy comedy/romantic movie (when the couple breaks up and both are at home thinking about each other, that kind of scene :). good job and good luck! later:P back to top
	9 - Steve Ison - I Know A Good Thing Think ice cold beer on a hot, hot day Goes down smooth. This song offers up an awesome twist of 60s psychedelic folk/rock with some urbane, jazzy precision. The lyrics are well-written and the phrasing of the words works well. Those "oooh ahhhhs" that kick in around (1:08) slay me. That was perfect. To continue that "oooh ahhh" thing and have the backing vocals resolve at (1:29) had me thinking "do that again!" All the instruments are balanced nicely in this song. And I like drummers who listen (as this one clearly does) and play musically. I've heard quite a few songs here [garageband.com] that I wished were shorter. I wish this one was longer. Thanks for the listen. Nice feel There is a good mood here. It reminds me alot of John Martyn. the vocals are sincere rather than pitch perfect which is a good thing here. some clever hooks and chord changes are complimented well with simple melodies. I also think the song is timed well. it never gets boring. Nice work. back to top
	10 - Charas - Too Late Review Pending back to top
	11 - Stoopid Genius - Angel No reviews yet back to top
	12 - Isenho - Shining Star Nice and Calm Solid beat with a smooth, comforting guitar sound. Singer fits in perfectly. Nice vocal melody. Very interesting segways and song parts. Creative. I like the bass player's tone for this song. It makes it all the more smooth. The drummers use of the ride is perfect. It keeps the song from getting dry. All the players musical parts are insightfull in preserving the song's calm integrity. "Upbeat!" Upbeat! This is one of those good ol' car tunes, you know the kind you can relax to when driving down the road. Good production, everything flows nicely. The lyrics are good too! (I'm listening to it a second time to make sure I didn't miss anything.) Interesting vocals, not your typical everyday sound, I like. Keep rocking! back to top
	13 - Back Bone Shiver - No Excuses No Excuses beyond the imagination of a person lies the surreal and in this song you will find your soul. In some ways, the best song of this group by BBS, it's a paradox in vibe. It sports an undeniable orchestral feel that couples with a fully FX'd modern pop sound while borrowing from the best of the FAB4's most pseudo acid induced work. It's a song with an overtone of hope while holding a question in each note a pure raw vocal line that lets you really find the inner man in the voice. And maybe in you! Planet Of Sound back to top
	14 - Jose O'Cohen - To Learn To Love Yeah man. Great vocals. This track has a POLICE kind of quality to it. Pleasant and light hearted. I like it. The Beatles meet Elvis Costello who ate the Replacements raw Actually, this song is a cool track. It has an addictive sound to it. I actually played it a couple times. I really like the combination of the drums and the bass. The vocals are very soothing. Keep up the good work guys. Are you guys from England? Good Harp. back to top
	15 - The Box - Pretty Little Birdy Chillin I like the groove man yeah. Dude you have a smooth chillin sound. I like the lyrics and feel good about the twistin little birdy part cool. Yeah babe lay some sax down hell ya. Yo ya got it goin man. Y'all killin be with that birdy thang. You showin me how dudes. peace out LosAngeles is Alive In the Streets of L.A. there is a sound of Rythm & Blues that flows nicely in the Cadillac speakers on a sunny Saturday Morning going to the Ventura Mountains... vocals bring in the nights cool and the Horns just add that spice nicely to enhance everything about this track. Cognac anyone!!! back to top
	16 - Elvis Ate My Goat - I Gotta Know Review Nice and Funky Really cool groove in this tune. Awesome vocals with great harmonies!! It's definitely an infectious track.... The bass is slap happy and solid, the drums are funky and tight, and the vocals rock! What is hip? FUUUNKY. Great Song. Love the backing vocals. great mix. talent everywhere here. Nice keys and bass. Not a big fan of that guitar effect but it works here...nice work boys. Fire Great funky rock tune, reminiscent of Earth, Wind and Fire. Takes me back to when music was music. Vocals are top notch. back to top
	17 - Sachi - Lost In My World Nice vocals The vocals are very sweet in this tune. Finally some harmonies!! The singer has a voice that's very easy to listen to. It's hard not to get drawn into the hook. The addition of the keyboards was a nice touch. It gave it a nice solo section, like something out of the mid 70's. good musicianship and nicely arranged. Good job!! Good to hear the vocals! Vocals are good, sound like Dennis DeYoung from Styx. Nice mix on the vocals... Keyboards jam in this song, love the guitar solo... back to top