In order to properly review this, I should talk a bit about music, and particularly the trend in a lot of modern pop. Looking to the sonic art form, the creation of it is a very human experience. Listening to music also seems a way to connect to humanity. We've created tools for that form of expression about as long as there has been music. Probably the earliest tools were percussive instruments little more than hitting something with your hand or a stick.

Modern pop, though, takes music that is produced and uses computers to alter the very sound of the instruments and voices. In many cases there are no real instruments in use at all. You can look at it really as the sonic equivalent of motion capture CGI. It can be stunning. When it comes to music, though, too much of it can suck all the humanity out of it. It can be entertaining, but it also misses connection on a certain human level.

Well, all that was just the prelude to this review. CALVERT's music fits well into modern pop sound. The thing is, there are only a couple songs here that wind up having the soul pulled out of them via over-production. Some of the other pieces show how letting up just a bit on the production can create something that appeals to modern pop audiences, but still manages to connect with reality.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) in Music Street Journal: 2019  Volume 3. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2019.