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Diggem
Contact: diggemband@gmail.com
Web: soundcloud.com
Seeking: Label, Booking, Film/TV
Style: Rock, Funk, Jamband
Username: diggem
Nathaniel Land
Contact: srgvpmedia@aol.com
Web: nathanielland.com
Seeking: Film/TV, Reviews, Bookings
Style: Pop
Username: nathanielland
Production
7
Lyrics
7
Music
8
Vocals
7
Musicianship 9
A band of solid entertainers, Diggem's
upbeat, multifaceted sounds
range from the retro saloon-pop saga
"Tale of Jesse," in which a female
vocalist tells the tale of a dirt-bike
racer; to the pop-funk "Rich Girl,"
whose swaggering organ, funk-jazz
horns and Lenny Kravitz-like vocal
provide a mainstream party appeal;
to the rousing, P-Funk soundalike,
"The Get-Down." All things
considered, this is a group of adept
performers with a fun collection
of recordings that will serve as a
convincing calling card for specialevent
bookings.
Production
9
Lyrics
6
Music
7
Vocals
8
Musicianship 8
Seasoned singer-songwriter Nathaniel
Land delivers solidly crafted songs
("Let's Have Breakfast In Bed")
with a warm, appealing, distinctive
voice. While Land makes no attempt
to take the listener to new realms,
his grasp of formulaic songcraft
results in tunes that are generally
catchy and satisfying to a grown-up
audience. Land's primary weakness:
his lyrics stray far too frequently into
cliche. "Possibility" stands out as his
strongest hook (could use backup
singers, however) and could make a
fitting soundtrack to a guy-losing-hisgirl
sequence.
Production
6
Lyrics
8
Music
8
Vocals
7
Musicianship 7
Native Keys
Contact: chyrsallenojan@aol.com
Web: https://soundcloud.com/
chrismcduffey
Seeking: Label
Style: Hip-Hop
Username: Native Keys
SoCal duo Chris McDuffy & Janvier
Mason show potential on what seems a
passion project steeped in early ‘90s hiphop,
with even a Tim Hardaway namecheck.
“Understanding Fame,” “Money”
and our favorite, “Listen,” show good
ideas and a higher consciousness in
the lyrics. “Listen,” with its Marvin Gaye
tribute, has a haunting quality. Each
song, however, feels like a demo of the
duo’s abilities, a showcase for a skilled
producer to step in and light it up. As it is,
these unpolished tracks have beats that
never go stale, but consistently trample
the vocals.
Production
7
Lyrics
6
Music
7
Vocals
8
Musicianship 7
Malynda Hale
Contact: malynda@malyndahale.com
Web: malyndahale.com
Seeking: Mgmt, Label, Booking, Film/TV
Style: Pop, R&B, Singer-Songwriter
Username: malyndahale
Hale has love on her mind, and
with a strong, expressive and
sometimes theatrical voice she
makes her empassioned pleas in
"Fallin'" and "Blue Eyes." While
both have effective arrangements,
their prospects for placement are
handicapped by a couple of things:
sonically they suffer due to a general
muffling in the low end; and, lyrically,
Hale tends to force her rhymes and
be too literal, resulting in lyrics that
are sappy, even for this genre. "City
Lights," which conveys the singer's
aspirations for a successful life, is her
strongest outing.
Laura Monk & High Cotton
Contact: sizarx@hotmail.com
Web: highcottonatl.com
Seeking: Booking, Film/TV
Style: AAA, Americana
Username: LMHCATL
Campbell Young
Contact: campbelldyoung@gmail.com
Web: campbellyoung.bandcamp.com
Seeking: Label, Film/TV
Style: Folk
Username: campbelldyoung
Production
6
Lyrics
7
Music
7
Vocals
8
Musicianship 7
This Georgia foursome are warm,
folksy and easygoing. "12 String" is
a simple tune with retro male backup
voices and bongo percussion.
"Southern Belle Blues" gives Monk
the spotlight, and while she has a
pleasant voice, she ultimately lacks
the power and push that would
put the song over. In fact, a mild,
passive nature infuses all of these
tunes, causing them to fall short. The
drums, especially, have no snap. We
advise Monk to work with a vocal
coach who can inspire her to take
her performances, and her band, to a
higher level.
Production
5
Lyrics
6
Music
6
Vocals
5
Musicianship 7
Oklahoma-based artist Campbell
Young has a batch of raw, voiceand-acoustic-guitar
songs that
showcase his folk presentation with a
certain pop-punk vibe. "Bipolar Love
Song" could be a Bowling For Soup
unplugged b-side, propelled by nerdy
vocal harmonies that often flat out.
"Clan of the Lonely" channels Death
Cab and Plain White T's and has a
vocal flatness that can at times sound
charmingly sincere. These are very
much "bedroom style" recordings by
an artist who is trying to find himself.
Keep working, man. Who knows what
might happen?
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES: There is absolutely no charge for a New Music Critique. We critique recordings that have yet to connect with a label or distributor.
To be considered please go to http://musicconnection.com/amp and click on “Get Reviewed.” All submissions are randomly selected and reviewed by committee.
musicconnection.com September 2013 51