Tuesday, June 20, 2017

Natalie Estes - 20/20 Vision (2017)




Written by Frank McClure, posted by blog admin

The four song EP from Nashville native Natalie Estes, 20/20 Vision, has surprising resonance for someone in their early 20’s who only hooked into music and what it could do for her during her teenage years. This young performer’s first love was dance and she made her mark initially as a talented ballet dancer, but being exposed to Adele’s version of Bob Dylan’s classic ballad “To Make You Feel My Love” transformed her ambitions in a way she never likely anticipated. It has lead her to seeking higher education in the area of music and working with some genuine major figures in modern music today – all in recognition of her considerable talents. 20/20 Vision, as mentioned before, is only four songs – but she packs a world of experience and emotion into these brief tunes and it ends up as one of the most all encompassing musical experiences of 2017.

The first track on 20/20 Vision, “Until I Do”, is arguably the darkest track on the album and a brilliantly theatrical track without ever over-exerting itself. Estes and her collaborators orchestrate the song with a sure hand throughout and she brings her vocals into full accord with the movement of the song. There’s a certain smokiness to the singing that’s never overstated but, rather, just the right touch of atmospheric. The lyrical content is solid, but revisits aspects of pop songs that we are all familiar with. “Where There’s Smoke There’s Fire” tills the same relationship politics ground, but it’s likely the musical and vocal highlight of the collection. This sounds like a song that should have a full orchestra behind Estes and shares common ground with both pop music and R&B influences. The backing vocals bring an added dimension to the performance it might otherwise lack.  

“Reminds Me of You” is much more oriented towards the ballad mode of popular song, but it has a thoroughly modern edge and expertly produced vocals. There’s even some scattered handclaps thrown in for good measure. Estes’ vocals take on a decidedly poppier air during this performance in comparison to earlier tracks, but the decision never prompts any loss of emotional authenticity or musical credibility. The final song on the EP, “Bad Game”, bristles with more attitude than any of the aforementioned tracks and has a crackling sound that will engage any listener. It has a light rock edge, but there’s a lot of pop skills powering this tune as well – the backing vocals, bouncing tempo, and strong drumming all come together quite nicely. 20/20 Vision represents one of those moments when everything seems to come together on a debut effort. Natalie Estes, clearly, made the right decision shifting her focus to music over dance and shows a natural talent for getting under the skin of a composition that few young performers share.

Grade: A

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