CD Review - Pamela Payge

Pure Pop And So Much More



The songs on Love And Hate, the latest release by Pamela Payge, are an infectious mix of synthesized pop and Pamela's unique vocals, and fully delivers on it's promise of bawdy beats and well-crafted pop music. Make no mistake, Pamela is a pop goddess, but Love And Hate is much, much more. It's danceable and delectable, a delicious mix of pop, hip-hop and jazz that will keep you listening over and over. And, Pamela herself proves to be much more than pure pop, showcasing a provocative, sultry and sexy side to sync-synth beats and samples on the song Tastes Like Candy, and her sighing whisper on My Baby's Coming Home is pure decadence, a sensual and overtly sexual masterpiece.

Commit To Our Love has a great, jazzy feel that really separates it from the rest of the disc. The vocals and production are like nothing else on the disc, but it works because it has a slight R&B feel with heartfelt lyrics, a marvelous bridge and sax solo and just enough uptempo syncopation. Toss And Turn is a gem, another break from the norm that features soulful lyrics and rhythm and a violin lead , but still manages a classy-yet-retro feel reminiscent of the mid-1980's.

Pamela composes her own lyrics and is top-notch vocally. One of the things I personally disdain about pop music is that vocal content is usually altered to the point it is nearly unrecognizable or buried behind beats and synthesized instrumentation. But Pamela shines here, rising above the arrangements, particularly on Crazy In Love, which is her strongest effort vocally on this release.

Love And Hate is an eclectic and insatiable blend of pop, hip-hop and jazz, with just enough lyrical eroticism to keep you listening over and over. It's a great girls night out CD (women will love Tell Me Girls or It's The Weekend), and has a definite top-forty feel to it. For all the rave reviews that Britney Spears has received for "Blackout", if that is your particular genre, Love And Hate is certainly more mature and decidedly better.

CD Review - Carmen & Camille

Music's Dynamic Duo



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Twin sisters Carmen & Camille form a duo that, on the surface, has the feel of fine silk and lace. But, there is a burning passion and emotion with an attitude of true rock & roll mettle at their core. This creates an amazing amalgam of various styles on their debut CD "Two": There's a plush dexterity to the heavier songs, and a stinging edge to the ballads. The twins have created a sound that captures the ornamental harmonies and acoustic intimacies of folk music and melds that into passionate balladry and scorching rock music.

The harmonies will hook the listener, indeed Carmen and Camille have great range and brilliance, but it is the explosive arrangements and tantalizing syncopation that is equally addictive. To be sure, there is a polished intensity to this release that is seldom seen in debut efforts. Camille's guitar sets elegant counterpoint impressions against the duo's harmonies, and Carmen's flute playing creates a rarefied grace as fresh and welcome as a soothing summer breeze.

Of the ballads, the wonderful "To Believe" is an exercise of agony enraptured, building in intensity as almost a gateway to the soul. "How Deep Is The Water" is an emphatic, uncompromising number that is their strongest vocally. Of the rockers, "Lose My Voice" has unrelenting passion, and my new favorite, "Another Lie", is a bellicose excursion that is damningly raging and defiant. Other standouts include "I Will Never" which has an intoxicating flute solo and pristine harmonies, and "Fantasy", which has a cozy 80's feel, a pleasant reminder of Pat Benatar, The Motels and Missing Persons.

Overall, "Two" is a wonderful effort. Music from this release has been featured in a number of television shows including MTV's The Hills, My Super Sweet 16, and Next. Additionally, Carmen & Camille have been featured in Stuff Magazine, Elle Girl, and Billboard.com., undoubtedly giving a tremendous boost to their careers. The songs are genuinely great, full of memorable hooks without being incessantly overbearing. The arrangements are tight, the instrumentation is top-notch and the production is wonderful. But, it is the duo's amazing harmonies that makes "Two" a five-star release.

CD Review - Dr. Pants

Chasing Tail With Dr. Pants



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The world of facetious wit has always numbered musicians among its residents, and one band has gentrified the neighborhood with its latest release. Combining superb pop craftsmanship with a hyperactive sense of caprice, Dr. Pants new release The Cusack-Loggins EP is a trajectory of surreal ideas and a catchy cataract of fun. If you have seen anything by John Cusack or heard anything by Kenny Loggins you will catch the subtle innuendo to culture and identity that is immersed with dulcet intelligence and a clever phrase or two.

Produced by band members David Broyles and Dustin Ragland, the six-song EP is a fiery mix of all the elements that make Dr. Pants a blast to see live; power poppy, Weezer-esque guitar rock, funky, jammy suite-like compositions that would make Phish jealous, and the quirky sense of humor that recalls the best work of Ween and They Might Be Giants.

Careful not to burden the listener with stuffy instrumentation or ponderous lyrics, this release is, simply stated, a stone groove. The best example may be the song "Bootyfest", a funky bass-infused jam that interpolates eclectic whimsy without taking itself seriously. Following the rocking fan-favorite "It All Depends", which kicks off the album with a wisp of subtle seriousness, "Bootyfest" launches beyond its suggestive title to carve a realistic life mask from the conceptual clay of : "You gotta spend some to get some." It is indeed an inspiring ode to the fine art of simply finding a platonic yet sexual relationship, or for lack of better nomenclature - chasing tail.

The memorable "Cusack Prelude > If I Were John Cusack" duo couches its elation in lyrics like "If I were John Cusack I would make High Fidelity 2 and I'd make it totally awesome - it would be the greatest movie ever made", and it's chorus "Lane Meyer and Lloyd Dobler, Martin Blank and Rob Gordon" which is a kaleidoscope of some of Cusack's most loved movie characters and feels amazingly like a song Jack Black would improvise on the set of "High Fidelity". Maybe these guys collaborated with Black through www.SonicJive.com!

Note To The Band: I'd close every show with "If I Were John Cusack" and let the crowd continue the refrain in a crescendo of a Capella love as the band leaves the stage to a sea of Bic lighters and encore extravagance.

Note To The Band, II: (From the "I never saw THAT coming" constituency) Surprisingly stunning guitar about 40-seconds into "Kenny Loggins", surprising only because it is completely unexpected and so damn good.

"Cusack-Loggins" is a convivial and wry lesson in perceptions and particularity. Its unpretentious and well-crafted, artsy grooves work because they avoid the bombastic approach that worked against some of the latter works by They Might Be Giants or some of the forced efforts of The Barenaked Ladies or The Conchords, songs that actually try too hard to be a little too artsy.

Which begs the question: is it in fact unfair to criticize a formerly great artist for his latter day sins, is it better to burn out or fade away?

Likely, the performances of these songs in a live setting is far better. But even with the limitations of studio reproduction, the songs are quite good. As I said, "Bootyfest" is such an amazing song that were it released by a successfully mainstream artist (like Beck for example), it would probably be an instant hit. Grab the CD for eight bucks and if you still need convincing, you can download "Bootyfest" on SonicJive for free this Friday.