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LISTEN + BUY |
ANDY CALDWELL - UNIVERSAL TRUTH (OM) |
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Who'd a thunk it? House 'n' roll? Actually, it's not
that much of a stretch, but Andy Caldwell's debut
artist CD may catch you off guard with its snazzy
fusion of rock 'n' roll and house beats. "Runaway"
kicks off with buzzing textures and a really hooky
groove, topped off with strong female vocals with
bite. Eclecticism also informs this release, as you'll
see when the sultry vocals and retro flavahs of
"Pushin'" grip you in a disco pulse. "The Real" chills
things down a tad and heavily calls to mind 80s
electro-pop with its cool-hot layers and textures and
emotive vox. Cool mid-tempo grooves and smooth vocal
lines also grace the song "Warrior," while "Brand New
Day" picks the pace back up with something that's a
little closer to traditional (vocal) house. "Don't You
Love Me" lays out some techno soul with throat work
that could just as easily grace classic dance or
modern R&B. Disco house is the name of the game on the
title track and "The Stars" is a straight up dish of
quality vocal house. With its slow, moody,
contemplative melancholy, "The Question" really takes
things in a different direction. The pop of "Miss U"
brings things back up to mid-tempo, pace-wise, and
"Don't Hold Back" carries us back into disco-tinged
house territory. The album closes with "I Can't Wait",
a track that starts off with acoustic guitar and what
sounds like black gospel choir style singing; it's an
oddly flavored little number with a hint of ethnicity
and a ton of heartfeltness. House doesn't always get
this top notch treatment so it's worth noting when it
does. That said, take note of Andy Caldwell. -- review by Kristofer Upjohn
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