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MARG The Voices Review by Gary Hill "MARG" is the stage name of Margarita Landry, and this is her new album. Fans of modern female pop singers will like this a lot. The music here lands in the same territory as a lot of the sounds so popular on the radio today. The difference, though, is that a lot of pop music relies on over-production of the vocals. This album doesn't have that issue. I find that refreshing. MARG's voice isn't especially distinctive, but it is very good. The music here has a decent range and works really well. I'm not really a big fan of this type of stuff, but this is an exceptional set. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018 Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.

Track by Track Review

Flaws A stripped down kind of folk music meets soul on this piece. There is a definite DIY vibe here, and the cut does earn a parental advisory. It's a very short song.

Stronger After an introduction that almost feels like part of the previous piece, this works out to a tasty pop rock kind of vibe. This is very much the kind of thing that would be on pop radio these days, minus the over-production that is such a thing on that type of music. The oddity that opened this closes it.

Crooked Smile More of a rhythmically based tune, this has a great groove to it. This one is less rock and more just pure pop music. It may not break any new territory, but it just works really well.

Dark Clouds There is a bit of a jazzy soulful groove to this. It's another classy pop song. It has such a smooth vibe.

That Morning The soul and R&B elements dance all over this cut. It's not a huge change, but just sort of ups the ante when it comes to the modern R&B sound. That said, the bridge has some more jazzy things going.

The Voices The title track has a bit of a jazz and experimental sound to it. Mind you, it still has a lot of the same elements that are so familiar here, too. I dig the echoey element to some of the vocals here.

Miles Away Soul and jazz merge with the modern pop thing here. This is one of the best numbers here. It isn't any kind of paradigm shift, but the groove is just particularly effective.

Lets Be Friends This groove isn't a big alteration at all, but it is another effective modern R&B based pop tune.

Tropical Marijuana An especially catchy tune, this is another highlight of the set.

I Hope She Breaks Your Heart The closer is based on more of that bouncy, folk styled music that opened the album. That makes for a nice bookend approach. This one also definitely earns parental advisory.

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