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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Merritt Gibson

Eyes on Us

Review by Gary Hill

I've seen Merritt Gibson described as an "indie artist." That's really a non-descriptive term, though. I'd consider her to be more along the lines of mainstream pop rock music. There is a decent range of sound here. Nothing is offensive or really misses. There are some pieces that really stand tall. Overall this could probably be accused of lacking originality, but Gibson's voice manages to bring a genuine talent to the table to make up for it. If you like edgy music that shies away from the mainstream, you'll want to go elsewhere. However, if you enjoy the more pop oriented, female singer type stuff, you will probably enjoy this. It's quite well performed and effective.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2018  Volume 4. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2018.
Track by Track Review
When You Were Mine
This has a good energy. It's very much a mainstream pop rock tune that's catchy and classy.
Eyes on Us

A catchy rocker, this is another mainstream number. It has a solid balance between mellower and more powered up stuff. This might not be quite as accessible as the opener, but it makes up for it with more of an edge.

Truth and Myth

A more balladic number, this is gentle and quite pretty. It's a classy piece. I particularly like the vocal arrangement on this one. Some guitar fills bring some country to the piece.

My Best Friends

I dig the retro rocking sound on this. It has some hints of bluesy rock in the mix. It's a classy energized tune with a particularly catchy chorus. The organ lends a bit of a retro flavor.

Memories

I can make out some hints of things like Mazzy Star on this. It's a mellow kind of number that has a lot of class. This is perhaps less pop oriented, but it has so much style and charm that it's one of the highlights of the set.

Lovesick

There are some hints of country in the mix at times on this number. Yet, this is more of a rocker in a lot of ways. It's another strong tune that really works so well. This is fun stuff.

Cold War II

Piano leads this into being. The vocals come over the top of that, and the track moves forward with just that musical backdrop. It works out to more rocking stuff after a while. This has a real classic rock kind of vibe to it. It might be a cliché, but I think I can hear some hints of The Beatles on this.

I Heard
Drums open this with a nice rocking groove. This is energetic and fun.
Ghost Town
Starting with a piano and voice arrangement, this gets icing on the top of it as it moves forward. It gets more rocking as it works forward and other instruments join, bringing some Americana to it.
Burning Red Hot
I can make out some hints of country on this tune, but it's more of rock based number. It's quite mainstream, energized and fun. There are some intriguing changes, and the whole piece works really well.
Area Code
This is another cut that starts with a piano and voice arrangement. It works onward in that kind of mode. I like this a lot. That more stripped back motif suits it well. Gibson manages to hold a solid tune together well in that mode.
Faraway
Acoustic guitar is the main element on the musical arrangement here. There is some piano along with some other things, but overall it's that guitar and the voice that create the bulk of the song. The other things just serve as augmentation and flavoring.
 
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