jlsc-ifc6-reviewer-09-nigel

ARTIST & SONG	COMMENTS
01-Melina S Troubles by Alicia Keys	There's no doubt you have a nice voice with good range. I think your lead vocal is really nice. Here comes the criticism: Multi-tracking an acapella arrangement is not an easy thing. Each new track you add brings out any small inconsistencies with pitch in the other tracks. Your recording does suffer from pitchiness in certain sections. Besides that, well done. Very creative!
02-Nancy G. In My Room by Brian Wilson	I like the sound of the 12-string on this tune. I also like the quality of your voice. I'm a fan of the original recording too. I think you did a good job adapting the song to your strengths. Lots of passion in your vocal. I like that! If I have to give you some criticism (and what good would this process be if we gave no criticism), it sounds like your guitar is not completely in tune.
03-Markus Lullaby by Tom Waits	Not familiar with the original.... I really like the piano only arrangement. The thing I like best about your performance is the way you use hesitation, if that makes sense....The piano moves along but it's almost as if your hands are heavy and there's a reluctance to get to the end. Reluctant to go to sleep? How's that for reading too much into it?? Anyway, very nice. I like your voice and delivery of this song. I'm going to have to find the original so I can compare.
04-James I Can't Get Next to You by The Temptations	Wow...way to change up the styles. It really goes to show you that a good song is a good song is a good song no matter what genre you put it in. This is a personal preference thing, but I don't really care for the 80's synth sound. Maybe a Hammond part would work better? Your voice really suits the rock arrangement. Nice BGV's as well... I like the riff and clean ending. Nice job. Very creative approach.
05-Iggy Dreamer by Ozzie Osbourne	It could be that I'm on a John Lennon site, but do I hear the Beatles influence? In an Ozzy Osbourne song?!?! Nice job on this, Iggy. I'm not familiar with this song, but I am familiar with Ozzy so I can imagine what the original sounds like. I like your interpretation. It's probably a result of the low fi file, but I had trouble hearing all the instruments in the mix. It seemed that everything was competing for front and center. Nice job.
06-Solpig Buona Sera by Louis Prima	Nice, short, sweet, to the point. I like your raspy, smoky voice. (I gotta smoke some more!) Simple guitar accompaniment works well for this song. Overall it's a very pure recording. Sounds like you just set up a mic and pressed record. No frills...I dig it.
07-Kris S Wonderwall by Oasis	Right away I liked the acoustic guitar sound. Very compressed, almost overdriven. Nice.... I liked the tonal effect that the piano gave toward the end. I would have liked to have heard that earlier. Maybe not that specific part, but just something as a texture. Very subtle changes from the original, but you made it your own. Good job Kris.
08-Tim W Nowhere Man by The Beatles	What a fun recording! It made me want to be in the room with you. You can tell you guys have a lot of fun together. Nice choice of song. I enjoyed the vocal harmonies. A very uplifting performance. You can't listen without having fun. Way to go.
09-Nigel Happier Than the Morning Sun by Stevie Wonder	Ehhhh, I've heard better....
10-EED (Emily) Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison	I like the folk setting for this song better than the glam rock original for sure! I also liked the subtle melody changes that you made. The only criticism that I have is that it sounds like you pitched the song a little low for your voice. Other than that, very nice.
11-David T Day Tripper by John Lennon & Paul McCartney	I'm dissapointed, David. I wanted to hear you sing! Anyway, love the drums and guitar. They both sound excellent. Nice guitar tones - very Beatleesque. Thought the keyboard sound was a little hot in the mix, or maybe just too midrangey - it drowned out the rest of the mix. Other than that, I enjoyed it.
12-Dave C Autumn Leaves by Joseph Kosma & Jacques Prévert	I've always liked this tune. It was my first work piece for jazz piano. On the plus side, you did a nice job bringing out the melody by voicing the chords with the melody on top. I would have liked to hear the melody notes ring out more legato. Quite honestly, overall your performance sounded very uneasy. It sounds to me like you're just getting comfortable with the chords and melody and it hasn't yet become smooth in your hands.
13-Hoaby Just A Little by The Beau Brummels	First of all, thanks for going all out. It's cool to hear the complete arrangement - I went the lazy (I mean simple) route. Kudos. I especially liked the fact that you chose to keep the tempo constant instead of speeding up for the choruses like the original does. That has always bothered me about older recordings. Can you say C-L-I-C-K-T-R-A-C-K?? Since Christina has added the option of listening to the originals it has definitely changed the review game. I can't help but refer to the original in my review, and you definitely hit the mark as far as reproducing the feel of the original. Good work.
14-Todd Joker by Steve Miller	Todd, man I'm totally with you on this cover. I hear exactly what you're after. Very creative approach. My biggest complaint is that you went hog wild with the effects! In my opinion it's too much - it takes away from the purity of your performance. Rhythms could be tighter among drums, bass, guitars. Other than that very nice. I really enjoyed your original approach to this song. Way to go!
15-Meikow You Won't See Me by The Beatles	Meikow, kudos for rearranging a Beatles song. I really like the intro - is that a sitar? Nice variation from the original in the feel of the song and faster tempo. I wasn't really digging some of the changes you made to the chord structure (for example I really miss the major II chord from the original....) Also, your guitar tones are a little too processed for my taste, but we're obviously in subjective territory. But way to go for taking something familiar and making it your own. An enjoyable listen!
16-Hazelglow Dreams of Fast Cars by an amalgam of Tracy Chapman & Gabrielle	Happy birthday to me...oh yeah, review.... Liked it Hazelglow. Not familiar with the "Dreams" tune, but seems to fit nicely in medley with "Fast Car". Nice choice for your voice and guitar playing. Nice interplay between the two guitar parts. Vocal harmonies are tasty. Lead vocal reminds me a little of James Iha. Anyone else? Well done.