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Binkelman's Corner by Bill Binkelman |
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Bill Binkelman is a long-time icon in the industry. |
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| My Siren Song |
| By Juliet Lyons |
| Label: Self Released |
| Released 12/19/2008 |
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| My Siren Song tracks |
1. My Dreaming Mind 
2. The Quest
3. My Siren Song
4. Behind The Future
5. Other Side Of The Moon
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6. Voyage
7. Peace Within
8. Dreaming Of The Hajar
9. Steal My Secret
10. My Siren Song-Do You Fear Me Remix
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My Siren Song |
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Juliet Lyons' voice combines qualities of a classically trained operatic singer with those of an accomplished pop songstress (think Physical-era Olivia Newton John) and that voice is put on display throughout her debut CD, My Siren Song. Working with a small crew of accompanists (guitars, congas, violin) she plays all the other instruments, most of which are, apparently, an array of assorted keyboards. The person behind the production and engineering is Njal Frode Lie who does an admirable job, mixing the various instruments and vocals to perfectly capture each element without allowing any to overpower the "whole." Lyons also wrote all ten tracks (she had a co-writer on "Voyage"). The lyrics cover a variety of topics, ranging from new age metaphysics to political statements to personal romantic ballads. Lyrics are included although the singer's enunciation is more than good enough to decipher the words without them, for the most part.
The songs balance a slick polished sound with what comes across as sincere emotion and heartfelt singing. Lyons' multi-octave range may take some getting used to but she doesn't resort to overkill, holding any flights of passion to a minimum. Only the last cut, a remix of the title track, veers into a beefier version of electronica, with a more overpowering bass-heavy beat and more synth flourishes. However, most (if not all) of the other songs also feature various electronic keyboards as well as an assortment of programmed rhythms (of varying tempos), but the overall mood is mostly subdued. This is not a recording to get you revved up; instead, the music hews more closely to modern pop music, which suits Lyons' voice and the subject matter, too.
My Dreaming Mind ushers in the CD with a whisper brush of synths and twinkling bell tones, joined by Lyons' pretty voice and midtempo chill-out beats. The Quest offers the blend of its quiet gentle opening and subsequent verses with the more powerful chorus, while My Siren Song is graced by the subtle Spanish-flavored guitar playing of Kevin Rogers, layered over ethereal keyboards and gentle conga beats (played by Brian McRae). Behind the Future is arguably the most intense track here, dealing with global political issues, everything from war to rape to the destruction of the environment. Musically, the song combines a lounge-like sound with more dramatic passages (due to the sound and the message, the song reminded me of Newton-John's "Silvery Rain" from Physical). The album also features one instrumental track, Dreaming of the Hajar which blends a quiet type of world fusion with electronica and, believe it or not, subdued power chord guitar work! Maybe I'm nuts, but once or twice I actually flashed on "Kashmir!"
Perhaps the CD being recorded on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia influenced or inspired Lyons in crafting her dreamy melodies while her desire to be contemporary led her to incorporate the amount of synths and beats which are present. I haven't heard many vocal albums that balance her kind of singing voice with electronics so well without losing track of the songs' melodic structures (in other words, this is not over-produced so that the vocals are lost amidst a wall of synthesizers and drum programs). In the end, she is as talented a song writer as she is a vocalist and an instrumentalist. For fans of new age vocal pop (for lack of a better classification) My Siren Song takes the listener on a catchy yet sincere musical voyage.
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Rating: Good +  |
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- reviewed by Bill Binkelman on 9/20/2009 |
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