EP Review: “Deeper Things” by Paul Hernandez

Hello!

The day I published the review of PHAVORS debut EP, I also received a message on Twitter asking if I was open to review another artist’s recent release. Christian rapper Paul Hernandez told me about his brand new EP called “Deeper Things” which I thought was interesting, considering the time we’re living in now everybody is allowing themselves to feel deep feelings. I haven’t listened to anything yet, so I’m happy to finally start writing what I feel and think to each track.

We start with the title track “Deeper Things” and the first thing I thought of was this is a nice beat! Despite the fact that I don’t review a lot of rap music, I have been known to be very picky on the sound that echoes out of my speakers. I liked it for what it was, it had groove and a nice melody. Nice way to begin this journey! The second is “Mañana” which means “morning”. I really loved the light and slow introduction and it leads into a bop with a worship vibe going on. I feel like it would be a great motivational or workout song to pump you through your day. The one thing I wasn’t expecting was towards the end of it, the beat slows back down and you hear Paul singing and a noticeable guitar laced bridge. I think that was what made me enjoy it even more!

Our third song is “Little Bit” and again, we have a sweet beginning; the tempo stays the same throughout the whole thing. You can clearly hear Paul talking and in the choruses, I kept thinking I was hearing a feminine voice in the background. The one person he sounds like is Khalid, they have the same soulful tone that I love and the lyrics are really good too. It would be great for these new high school graduates, as they enter the world on their own. It’s one of those feel good songs at the end of summer! I think I might add it to my summer playlist in September too.

“Runaway” is next and this is another good end-of-the-summer tune. It’s nice and chill, and reminds me of late afternoons, which was so odd because I was doing this review at five o’clock on a Friday. There’s not many times were everything lines up right at the same time, so I knew it had to be fate! The last track “Till You Found Me” and it is a true Christian type of song but for those like me, the meaning isn’t too in your face. I enjoyed the electric guitar in the background when he was rapping, for a while it was just those two sounds coming through and then all of a sudden, there’s a damn trumpet! It totally threw me for a loop, but I thought it was an interesting addition. It was an awesome end.

I think my favorites were “Mañana” and “Little Bit,” mainly because they were both easy-going and made me think of positive things, not that the others don’t have that quality, I was just into them more for some reason. If you need a late summer addition to your music library, I definitely suggest you check out Paul’s stuff. It will bring a little sparkle to your day.

Have you heard of Paul Hernandez before this review? If this is your first time, what tracks were your favorites?

Album Review: “Dragon Mentality” by Elley Duhé

If anybody has heard Zedd’s new single “Happy Now” then you might be a little familiar with the artist I’ll be talking about today. Elley Duhé is a new American artist and she has this cute, little happy (no pun intended) voice that does instantly brighten you up after hearing it for the first time.

Elley released her first album in late October, and it’s called “Dragon Mentality” and as I am really curious to know how she came up with it, I think the cover itself is absolutely beautiful! The album is again, another short list of tracks. I am really hating the fact that record companies are releasing albums as an extended play standard number of songs, but I guess to an artist that’s worked their asses to get there at that moment, it didn’t matter how many would actually make it to the end result. It irritates me of course, but I can’t do anything about it!

 So, “Lost My Mind” has a slow start, but I liked that kind of introduction to any album but for a new artist, it’s important to have a mild opening to not freak out the listener. This was an ideal opener, as it was soulful but had a really good pop-y quality and you could hear a sassy-ness to her voice in this as well. Second is, “Fever” and I thought the usage of this exotic type of sound throughout was really fun! It doesn’t sound like the normal pop song that you hear on the radio and that’s what I loved the most about it.

We move on to a track called “Way Down Low” and it’s a fast song, at least the beat is as it has this electronica mixed with a pop sound going on. The tempo is really well balanced since she sings pretty quick, the actual speed of the beat itself is actually kind of slow in places, so it was cool to see this happening and not feel like it was chaotic in the process. Next there’s “Counterfeit” and her voice is a bit sassy but I liked it because the song was a little gritty and it needed that extra edge to it. And then there’s “$$$$” and this is another song with an unique beat, I feel like it would be perfect for anyone dancing the Argentine Tango or Paso Doble on Dancing With The Stars because the beat is just gorgeous and dare I say, seductive in every aspect. I really love that violin solo a lot. It just brings that sex appeal to it. I actually wasn’t going to review this at all. I had deleted it off of my Spotify and everything, but then a couple of days later I was watching music video and I ultimately decided I needed to bring it back.

The sixth song is “Starz” and this is sort of slower and I’m so kind there’s at least one of these types of songs on this because everybody needs a break of those heartier beats. This has a soft appeal that a lot of people could get behind on it. However, I feel like she has read my mind over the years and the violin is pretty prominent in the beat, and instead of giving it a sexy vibe, it actually helps with the somber beat. Lastly, we have “Savior” and we go back to the upbeat, kind of hip hop type of sound; although it isn’t exactly in your face as the others. I’m glad her bright voice is loud and the tempo is sort of slow. It’s a good way to end this whole journey.

Honestly, this whole thing was haunting me a bit, because I feel like I talk a lot about the famous musicians. I don’t really devote my time and space on my blog for new artists, so maybe that can be something I can do for 2019! I’m really glad I decided to listen to this album. I thought it was really different then the regular pop artists come up with, and I liked the fact that I felt like everything that I was hearing was a real instrument. That’s the one thing I hate about pop music, sounds can be altered so much that you really end up craving real sounds again.

Have you listened to Elley Duhé’s first album “Dragon Mentality” yet? If you have, what were some of your thoughts about it? I’d really like to see what you liked or didn’t care for for this?

EP Review: “Fight” by Sandra Lynn

I love going Spotify’s “new music” tab and scrolling through the many new artists and music coming out on Fridays. It’s become my favorite pastime! Sometimes I treat it like going into your favorite bookstore and selecting a new book based solely on its beautiful cover. I will scroll through the selection of music and pick up interesting album covers and try it out.

I’ve reviewed a lot of different music on here. I mostly talk about pop, rock, heavy metal, and the occasional celtic music, but I hardly ever discuss country music. I’ve always had an up and down relationship with both country and rap music. They’re both diverse, but very similar in their lyrics and sound. Every once in a while, I do get out of my shell and check out different artists and tracks, and this is one of those times.

I found Sandra Lynn’s music by the look of the cover, but I was thinking that maybe she was a contemporary artist, and then I heard her voice and I was pleasantly surprised by the subtle country flare she had and so I decided right there that I would review her newest EP of only four songs that came out on January 18th!

The first song that we start with is the title track of the extended play. I really like the use of the piano in the beginning, it’s very sweet but I wish it turned up more in the actual song than just somewhere in the background. Besides that, the song itself is pretty good! It’s not an “overwhelming” country song so if it was played on modern adult radio stations, I think it would do pretty well! Next is “Rest In Pieces” and I was a confused about how this could sound, I figured it would be in the same “loss” category as the previous song, but I was still intrigued nonetheless. I’d consider it a breakup song that isn’t about a cheating boyfriend and getting revenge afterwards, even though I’m not saying those are awesome or anything, its just very upbeat but light-hearted too.

Third is “Somebody Kissed Me At The Bar” and I don’t want to compare Sandra to any of the other female country stars, but I am definitely sensing Carrie Underwood in this one! It’s very gentle and a nice mellow, but romantic song. I like it! Lastly, we have “From The Outside” and I really like this one. I think it’s more pop than country, but I am still feeling like it’s the summertime. That’s one thing that’s always constant with the genre itself, you feel like every song is perfect for the end of summer or early fall. At least, that’s how I’ve always sensed throughout the years!

I thought the EP as a whole was really good! For anybody who knows me what I’m about to say is going to shock you, but I wish there was at least one ballad on it. I guess you could count “Somebody Kissed Me At The Bar” as a semi-ballad since it was very soft in parts. I just think her voice needs to be highlighted with a good piano ballad. Maybe if I go through the rest of her music on her profile on Spotify, I can find at least one on there.

Have you heard of Sandra Lynn’s music before? If you’ve listened to this EP, do you have a favorite on it?