Gregory Douglass - Lucid

Gregory Douglass - Lucid
2011, Emote Records

Gregory Douglass defines the modernconcept of an Indie artist. The Burlington, Vermont singer/songwriter releasesalbums through his own record label, Emote Records. He's also maximized his fanbase over eight albums, with fans funding some or all of his last five albumsthrough pre-orders and donations. Douglass' 2008 album, Battler,inspired by a particularly dark season of HBO's Six Feet Under, was acollaborative effort. Douglass worked with Righteous Babe Records' AnaisMitchell and singer extraordinaire Grace Potter to craft an album that resultedin universal acclaim. The album spawned a video for "Hang Around"that charted for six consecutive months on LOGO TV's Click List Top 10Video Countdown, and appearances with artists such as Jason Mraz, ReginaSpektor, Margaret Cho and Melissa Ferrick. Gregory Douglass' latest album, Lucid,is a much more personal affair. Long a fan of dream interpretation, Douglassdecided to put his dreams to music. But this time out Douglas worked with AbletonLive, creating electronic layers and depth around his compositions,resulting in his most sonically ambitious work to date.

Lucid opens with "The Night", a dark, dream-likesoliloquy that plays like a lullaby for those who cannot rest. It's anintriguing start, simultaneously soothing and subtly disturbing."Lucid" is a solid album track. This is the first time Douglassreally digs into his more electronic sound, and the song is compelling for thechoices he makes as he layers sound upon sound. Like most first steps, the songhas some rough edges, but Douglass' distinctive ear wins out in the end."White Out" blends soul, electro and rock in compelling fashion,although there is an overly recursive nature to the tune that asserts itself.

Douglass strips things down a bitfor "Naysayer", building on a simple arrangement in subtle fashion.This is the most sonically compelling piece on the album. Listeners will sitand wait for the big breakout that never comes, but Douglas continues to buildin small, almost imperceptible detail, fulfilling the social contract of thesong but always leaving you wanting a bit more. It's brilliant. Lucidfalls into a bit of a rut in the middle, recovering on the intriguingmelody of "Raven”. Douglass creates tremendous movement in the melodyline, buttressing it with the dark timbres and shading of the starkarrangement. This musical climax winds down slowly through two additionaltracks, "One True Thing" and "From Now On", both musicalaperitifs that slowly draw the album to a close.

Gregory Douglass brings hisintriguing voice to bear against the stark backdrop of dreams on Lucid.The result is downright compelling at times. Douglass creates musical intriguewith a newfound love of electronic layering, but this is a double-edged swordat times, as it also fills in the nuance of his songwriting at times, levelingthe sonic landscape and creating a sense of continuity that is, at timesoppressive. Like many experiments, Lucid has its moments of grandeur andglitz, as well as moments soon forgotten, but the album marks the continuedevolution of Douglass as an artist. There's little doubt that Douglass learnedas much from this project as listeners will from listening, and will continueto build on those lessons as he moves forward. For now, Lucid, remains acompelling experiment from a prodigious artist; one very much worth exploring.

Rating: 3.5 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Gregory Douglass atwww.gregorydouglass.com or www.myspace.com/gregorydouglass. 

Emmanuella Grace - London Stories

Emmanuella Grace - London Stories
2011, Emmanuella Grace

Emmanuella Grace is an Australian-born, London-based singer/songwriter who has performed all over Europe and Australia.  Classically trained, Grace studied musical theater and jazz at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music in Brisbane.  With appearances at Sydney Opera House, The Barbican and Royal Albert Hall, Emmanuella Grace is a seasoned performer.  Emmanuella Grace recently released her debut album, London Stories.  Produced by Snowy Raphael, London Stories will open your eyes to a brilliant young story-teller and songwriter.

London Stories opens with "Butterfly", a picture-perfect introduction in solid pop dressing.  The title is pure allegory for Grace's voice, which grows from a solid, pretty alto into a fluttery upper range.  The tune is catchy, and the piano/synth-driven pop arrangement makes for a great start.  "Kentish Town Laundry" is an intriguing look at life and decay, following the lives of those in a small suburban Laundromat.  Grace uses distinctive imagery to detail the melancholy and grace of people just trying to get by.  It's a gorgeous piece of songwriting that is both poetically and sonically pleasing.  On "Words Aren't Enough", an abusive ex is put in his place, with the narrator standing for herself and taking control.  This will be a song of significance for anyone who has ever been there.  Well written, the song is full of an honest power, carried by a melody that grabs you.

"Share The Covers" is a reconciliation waltz.  Emmanuella Grace gives her best vocal performance of the album while using strings to fill out the arrangement.  Emotive and real, there's a distinctly theatrical feel here.  It wouldn't be surprising to find "Share The Covers" licensed out to a television show or movie in the near future.  "Here Today" is a solid album track, but does get a bit too repetitive at the end.  "Upside Of Anger" is a re-evaluation done in ballad form.  Grace builds tension throughout the song, taking off into a breathy soprano range that surprises.  "Soho" is brilliant.  Grace captures the manic air of London's famed neighborhood in a song of theatrical style and temperament.  Hints of Julie McKee and Nellie McKay are evident here, and it’s abundantly clear that Grace had a lot of fun on this recording.  London Stories closes with "Cocaine", an intriguing musical monologue that seems to be written from both inside and outside the clutches of its subject.  It's an intriguing closer, from the manic implications to the flat line portrayal played out in synth tones.

Emmanuella Grace is striking both in appearance and sound, building deep impressions in listeners even through recorded media.  At the same time, there is a sense of distance, as if Grace is holding something back at times.  She sheds that air on the last two tracks, but there is the risk that Emmanuelle Grace is at times more connected to her stories than to the listeners.  This isn't detrimental, as Grace is an absolutely spell-binding story-teller.  And the personal connection thing may well be there live, but it doesn't quite translate on CD.  If Emmanuella Grace ever puts the three together, she's going to rock the world, figuratively speaking.  For now, London Stories is a very impressive debut.

Rating: 4 Stars (Out of 5)

Learn more about Emmanuella Grace at http://www.emmanuellagrace.com/ or www.myspace.com/emmanuellagrace.  London Stories is available on CD from Emmanuella Grace’s webstore.  Digital versions of the album are available from both Amazon.com and iTunes.