CD Review: Kelly Padrick's 'Soulmate'

Kelly Padrick
Soulmate
Self-Release

The Providence, Rhode Island-born electronica temptress, Kelly Padrick, flexes her angelic wings on this dreamy, gritty, and laid-back recording of heavenly noise. Kelly's down-tempo grooves and sweet vocals are backed by a little keyboard tones, acoustic guitar, lilting percussion, and cinematic string sounds. The effect is similar to anything laid-back by Lolo, Katie Melua, or Hooverphonic. The opening crystalline tones, scattered percussion, and electronic ambiance of the first track, "Piercing," is only some of what Kelly Padrick is all about. The bluesy, gritty, and Western-tinged electronica tune, "Tangled Forest," is something that one would likely hear in the opening sequences of HBO's True Blood, but this is only a comparison, as Kelly does not have any connection with the show. At any rate, "This Time" contains a breakbeat sound that is quite acoustic and groundbreaking with a slight dance tone and full cinematic beauty. "So Long" opens with a bit of acoustic guitar, which is a small departure from the other songs. This is more of a drawn out acoustic guitar song with some electronic pings, washes, and fluctuations. The eleven songs are perfect for the down-tempo, lounge, and trip-hop music fan. I give it five stars out of five. ~ Matthew Forss

CD Review: Lauren Edman's 'It's Always The Quiet One'

Lauren Edman
It's Always The Quiet One
Self-Release

The alternative pop and trip-hop ramblings of an innovative performer, Lauren Edman, bring us an excellent mix of quirky, electronic-driven songs that resemble some of the music in the trip-hop or alternative genres--with the likes of Tori Amos, The Cardigans, and Imogen Heap. However, Lauren makes the music her own by throwing in a mix of other instruments, including flutes, banjo, piano, percussion, and keyboard accompaniment for a more diverse sound. Lauren sings more than most alt-trip-hop musicians, which is not a negative. In fact, Lauren's vocals are pretty good throughout. The poetic, but upbeat "Sweet Girl" is a perfect caricature of a Cardigans repertoire. "Charge" is a more spacious trip-hop song with lush vocals and an electronic ambiance. "This Is It" is more alt-folk than trip-hop. "Wasting" contains a trip-hop beat that shimmers with electronic sounds from a range of sources. Lauren's style is reminiscent of Lolo, Endless Blue, and Portishead. As a former quiet one myself, I have no problem applauding this new release and sharing it with everyone I do and don't know. ~ Matthew Forss