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Non-Prog CD Reviews

Tori Evans Sonder Review by Gary Hill There is a certain kind of sound that seems almost clichéd these days. Well, technically there are always quite a few of those in play at any given time. I'm talking specifically about the singer-songwriter female school of modern pop rock here. There are definitely moments of that on this release, but it also stretches beyond that in harder rocking zones. While nothing here is Earth-shattering in terms of originality, it's generally effective, and flows well as a cohesive album. This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2021 Volume 5. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2021.

Track by Track Review

Alone I dig the hard rocking arrangement on this. It has plenty of pop rock in the mix, but really drives with a lot of energy.

Think Twice The guitar sound on this has a great fuzz-drenched, almost punky sound to it. This is a powerhouse rocker. There is a definite blues rock angle to this.

Let Go This makes me think of Amy Winehouse to a large degree. There is a healthy helping of bluesy jazz in the mix. Piano is a nice touch. The cut is more of a power-ballad styled thing.

Not So Cold There is some retro Americana built into this number. It has plenty of modern pop rock in the mix, too. There is an unusual tempo change later in the song. I'm not completely sold on it, and the section that comes after seems a little rushed to me. That makes this number a bit less effective for me.

Learned From Your Lies This tune is hard rocking and angry. It is really fierce. I'd consider it one of the highlights of the set.

Cold Blooded While this song is reasonably effective, it is also rather generic female singer-songwriter styled music. The cut works alright, but isn't any kind of standout.

Constellations Now, this is an improvement. There are some soaring moments. There is also a great contrast between mellower and more rocking sections. This is one of the highlights of the disc.

Working on Me A piano and vocal ballad approach brings this into being. That said, the vocals are powerful and driving. This grows outward a bit later with other instruments joining. While I can appreciate the emotion of the track, it's another that doesn't do all that much for me. I do like the piano on the number later and the texture that it brings.

Tired An angry sort of rocker, this is a little generic, but also quite strong.

Beautiful Day A slow moving pop rock tune, this works pretty well. It's almost balladic. It has some great Americana in the mix, too.

Cut Me Loose Another angry tune, this is a powerhouse rocker, even though it lands more as a mid-tempo piece.

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