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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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