Regular Columnists

Artist: Dinah Chapman
Album: "2 Song Demo"
CD Review: Genre: Inspirational/Gospel
Sounds Like: Dawn Robinson
Technical Grade: 7
Production/Musicianship Grade: 8
Commercial Value: 7
Overall Talent Level: 7
Songwriting Skills: 8
Performance Skill: 7
Best Songs: Man Of Mine
Weakness: Songs tend to lack vocal continuity and progression.
CD Review: I get the sense that Dinah, a singer/songwriter from Oakland, has been doing Gospel music for a very long time. Long enough to know that Gospel is supposed be a spiritual experience. While her songs have a contemporary new school Gospel producution, they do not have the old school Gospel vocals. Dinah's voice sounds better suited for R&B or inspirational music which is closer to what the lead song on her demo, "Man Of Mine" is more similar to. What she lacks vocally, she compensates for lyrically with songs that are well crafted and perfectly structured. It's easy to see why Ann Nesby decided to cover a song that she wrote ("You Always Cared') on her last CD.

Advice: Put more emphasis on being a songwriter.