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CD REVIEW: Andi Rae Healy - Rising
By Steve Allat - 02/19/2005 - 10:38 PM EST
Artist: Andi Rae Healy
Album: Rising
CD Review:
Label: Independent Tracks: 10 Released: 2004 For Fans Of: Tracy Chapman Fav Tracks: I Guess You Never Really Loved Me, Wish,.
'Rising' out of NY city comes Andi Rae Healy with a confident breathy voice and a few songs to share. On this, her acoustic solo debut has Andi is strumming & singing all by herself, which leaves her all on her own with her music and our response.
Since only guitar and her strong voice are showcased, it is obvious right away that she's not afraid to use her full range to express the emotions of her lyrics. Her guitar playing, while competent, could use a little spice with which to flavour some of these songs with.
Although a couple songs stand out, most of the songs sound alike, with her vocal phrasing repeating somewhat. A few more vocal hooks to rely on would begin to differentiate. This is where the first couple tracks succeed and where some others just miss - that simple vocal or musical hook. It's even there every time, begging for attention within each song. Good songs could simply be that much better for a bit better aim.
I find the curse of the acoustic set or singer/songwriter in general is the needs to be singing almost constantly, or else interest may immediately wane, when in fact a few well placed musical hooks can not only fill a void, but can make a good song a great song. Another often overlooked component of each song is the vocal phrasing and Andi repeats herself a fair bit - something that's not easy to catch when working from the inside. Her singing is great - full, honest and even sexy - but I'm sure she can play with it even a little more to give us something more memorable to hold onto.
Contact: Andi Website: Andi Rae
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