| CD REVIEW |
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| KARDAMOM - CECILIA (DI BENEDETTO) |
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| This is one of the best new demos I've heard, in every aspect - songwriting, lead vocals, harmonies, instrumentation and technical production. Rather than stick to just one favourite producer, Cecilia demonstrates her versatility in working with a different one for each of these three tracks, i.e. Boris Pahanic, John Setej and Tony Paiano, and adds her own input as well. Cecilia, a seemingly accomplished player on guitar (treble and bass) and piano, also has an excellent grasp of the use of harmony, multi-tracking her own vocals and those of Boris Pahanic, creating a very pleasant vocal symphony, particularly on "Blue Song". Boris also performs on drums on the opening "Finish Line" - a take on "the tortoise and the hare" fable in reference to achieving one's goals. "Blue Song" is a more laidback, simply-constructed ballad, with Boris on acoustic guitar and duet vocals with Cecilia. There is an element of wistful regret, but the listener is reassured it is not life-threatening. It's quite a pleasant little "hummer', in a Linda Ronstadt "Blue Bayou" kind of way, but more vocally subdued. It would have been nicely embellished with a mandolin or classical guitar layering. The momentarily jarring but appropriate intro (provided by Tony Paiano on synthesizer) on "Market Place" abruptly segues into a melancholic insight into the "greedy desperation in the eyes of humanity" and what she terms as "the inferiority of mankind". She goes on to state that "We think we're all so civilized but all we do is compromise...our souls." Cecilia's splendid vocal range and keyboard skills are showcased here, completing the excellence of this miniature musical collage. This is mature songwriting for mature minds. Although she categorizes herself as a folk/roots singer/songwriter, there is a strong element of mainstream sensibility here that will nevertheless appeal to a wide audience of unjaded music lovers. Cecilia, based in the Southern Ontario area (and not to be confused with New York's much raunchier Cecilia The Band), can be reached at [email protected]. |
| CD artwork to follow shortly |