Coles Whalen – Nothing Is Too Much / 2007 Self / 6 Tracks / http://www.coleswhalen.com / Reviewed 17 April 2007
Coles Whalen has been around the music industry for quite a few years. When I was trying to find eir CD Baby webpage for “Nothing Is Too Much” (to find a little more information about eir), I kept finding prior releases from eir solo career. However, Whalen’s time in the musical spotlight is even longer, as ey was in a rock band for almost three years before that.
The singer-songwriter tack has been gone over many times by different singers, from Jewel all the way to Carrie Underwood, and the slightly country-tinged sound of Whalen on “Call On me” is a compelling reason for why the genre has not died. The emotion that is contained with each line is amazing; while the instrumentation is nothing to write home about during this track, the vibrancy of the vocals more than makes up for any weakness there. “How Do You Do This To Me” is an interesting track, as it is able to have a very pop-heavy type of vocals even as the intensity and instrumentation points towards something much more tied to the hard rock genre. What results is something as catchy as Avril or Britney could come out with, without having to have the stigma of the song being a Avril or Britney song.
The production that is present during the entirety of “Nothing Is Too Much” is without criticism. In each track on the disc, there is a popping of each constituent element; nothing is crowded, nothing is cloudy, and the resulting tracks are clear and catchy throughout. “The Getting Side” brings the sound of this EP back to something that takes up the country standard. This time, hints of Shania Twain blend together with a pop-country instrumentation. The chorus will worm its way into listeners’ head easily, and the almost-slide like sound to the guitars at points during the track differentiate the track from any other song on “Nothing Is Too Much”. The slower tempo of “When You Were Here” is another different style by Whalen, but it is still at the same impressive level as the rest of the songs on the disc. “Nothing Is Too Much” is an EP that has a successful time with each subsequent track. I want to hear what Whalen has in store for the full length; while it is easier to put 6 hits on an EP and call it a day, I wonder if a 10 or 12 track full length will be as suiting to eir sound.
Top Tracks: The Getting Side, Honeyed Out
Rating: 6.2/10
[JMcQ]