Regular Columnists

Artist: Eric Kamen
Album: "Native Unit"
CD Review: Genre: Instrumental
Sounds Like:?
Technical Grade: 9
Production/Musicianship Grade: 10
Commercial Value: 10
Overall Talent Level: 10
Songwriting Skills: 10
Performance Skill: 10
Best Songs: Mykonos At Midnight, Broken Hearted, Moshi Moshi, Thug Life
Weakness: None
CD Review: What happens when you blend contemporary r&b and hip hop beats with some very serious World music, which features Spanish guitar, other world stringed instruments and a touch of acoustic piano? You get a flavorful project that's musically captivating.

Eric Kamen (who simply goes by "E"), was born and raised in New York City, and is also a successful r&b/hip-hop producer. He programmed the beats and plays every instrument on this project including Flamenco guitar, bass, piano, Indian sitar, as well as Greek and Turkish bouzouki. The blend of these instruments with commercial, contemporary grooves is almost scientific, and nothing short of phenomenal. This project will appeal to hardcore hip hop fans, jazz enthusiasts, and world music lovers alike.

The most commercial track, "Mykonos At Midnight,"emanates sensuality on a bed of percolating beats and melodic guitar playing. It's infectious and would surely light up radio switch boards with requests. Unlike so many projects, this is not a two single CD. This project needs to be consumed in it's entirety because the tracks blend together harmoniously, and sweetly, like chocolate, cararmel, and nuts - all of which are tasty on their own but when blended, are more delectable.

Advice: Market and promote this strategically. You can license every track on this project (a la Moby). Look into licensing agreements with third party licensing companies, music libraries, or pitch these tracks directly to music supervisors yourself.

www.nativeunit.com