Amanda Abizaid Walking in Twos Review by Gary Hill
This album probably fits under pop rock better than it does under any other title. That said, there is a lot of world music here. I would have to say that while I enjoy everything on the disc, nothing really "grabs me." It's good music that never rises to the level of great for a whole song. There are some "great" moments, though. I think the second half of the set is much stronger than the first. If there is a real problem with this, it's that taken as a whole it seems to lack direction. Still, so many people listen to music one song at a time these days.
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Track by Track Review
Walking in Twos - Feat. Stephen Stills
This is a fairly mellow number. It's based on a 70s soft rock vibe with some country in the mix. The chorus features more voices and has a nice hook to it. There is a bit of a world music drop back with children's vocals.
Lion's Den A bit more of a soulful vibe permeates this cut. It has a little more modern texture in some ways, too. It's a good tune. It's not as strong as the opener, though.
Set It Up More of a modern electronic sound drives this. It's more of an R&B kind of thing. It borders on hip hop. It has some cool moods, but I'm not crazy about this one.
Release Me Now, this is one of the best cuts here. It has a modern electronic vibe. That's merged with a sultry jazz element and some world music. The effect makes this contemporary, but also extremely classic.
One Love Bouncy folk elements make up the basis of this. It has some definite world music built into it, too. It's a fun cut, and one of the strongest ones here.
Promises of Love A mellower cut, this is very effective. In fact, it might be my favorite here. It has more of folk rock sound to it, but with some other things going on, too. It leans toward the proggy end of the spectrum. It does get some hints of world music, too.
Walking in Twos (Electronica Remix)
As the title and parenthetical say, this is a remix of the opening number. I have to say that this gets a bit of a soulful groove in this format, and I prefer this version. It just seems to work better.
