Amilia K Spicer – Seamless

Amilia K Spicer – Seamless / 2005 Allspice / 14 Tracks / http://www.amiliaspicer.com / [email protected] / Reviewed 30 November 2005

The first track on “Seamless” is the title track; while it seems like a smart idea to start off the disc with a bold statement of one’s sound, the back and forth nature of the backing instrumentation really seems cold and impersonal, lacking in its duty to really uplift Spicer’s Cranberries meets Stevie Nicks type of vocals. There is an audible change in the style of instrumentation present on “Wide World”, but the same tension between the backing sound of the track and Spicer’s vocals remains. Perhaps this is just a problem with the production on the disc, but having this gap between the vocals and instrumentation forces listeners and potential fans away from enjoyment. One cannot fault Spicer for eir attempt to come up with a very pensive and tender-sounding set of vocals for the tracks on “Seamless”; the actual disc does not really get itself started until the third track “Delayed Effect”.

In this, the extended lengths of Spicer’s vocals allow for greater interaction between the music and vocal sections of the disc, and do a lot in the destruction of this aforementioned barrier. The college-rock guitars of “Fallin In” gives Spicer a quicker tempo and more lush instrumentation in which to couch eir vocals; while this is not jam-band territory one begins to wonder if a full foray into that genre might not be fruitful for Spicer. In a sense, tracks like “Little Cowboy” (which are more of the norm instead of the exception) are done in a classic, almost festive-like style. One can almost hear the sweet strains of “Little Cowboy” playing over The Gap’s loudspeaker in a cold, blustery storm when few are actually in the store. Later tracks like “Route 15” have a very compelling set of vocals, but what really stops this disc from soaring is instrumentation to really match well with the high-soaring, sweet vocals of Spicer in any meaningful way.

“Route 15” has Spicer almost single-handedly drag the entire track to the ending strains; while eir vocals are delightful to hear here, they just need a more proper and fitting style of instrumentation to be deemed an unqualified success. “4:08” is a track like “Delayed Effect”, where the instrumentation nears the level of raw talent that Spicer’s vocals have at all points on this disc. Still, the music here is much too limited and timid to really bring Spicer to the next level.

Top Tracks: 4:08, Delayed Effect

Rating: 3.9/10

[JMcQ]