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Cory Chisel
Album: Cabin Ghosts
Release Date: TBA
Label: Black Seal / RCA
Track Listing
01.Lovers and Friends
02. See it My Way
03. So Wrong for Me
04. On my side
05. It Won't be long
06. Home in the Woods
Reviewer: James
According to Cory Chisel's Myspace page he states that his music is
Americana/Folk/Neo-soul. I'm glad that he offered this genre information because
I really didn't know what to expect at all from this artist. Apparently new to
the music scene Cory offers some raw, but interesting tracks in this short
promotion called Cabin Ghosts. Let's see what Cabin Ghosts is all about.
When I first began listening to this CD I was initially stuck by the quality of
the singers voice. Cory seemed to have a smooth and soothing quality much like
an old Blues performer of some bygone era. His voice is very well suited for
this style of music and lends itself to another interesting point in the fact
that I felt a connection with the singer. I find this to be an extremely rare
type of talent for an artist to have and I believe Cory Chisel has this. It was
almost like he knew me in some small way and every word he sang was the epitome
of what it is to be human. In addition to his voice the instrumentation and song
writing were surprisingly well done.
Many songs had a very strong folk and Blues/Soul rhythm guitar undercurrent with
the exception being the first track "Lovers and Friends" which was more like a
soulful Reggae blend with some progressive elements. Instruments like a banjo
and the great sounding Hammond Organ, or at least a facsimile of one, could be
heard as well. At times Cory was joined by an accompanying vocalist in some of
the songs which makes them more robust. Most of these songs deal with heartache
"So wrong for Me" and "On my side" are examples of doubt and desperation. The
subject matter in these songs is what really makes them endearing and
understandable to the listener.
Another well done aspect of this CD is that some performances appear to be live.
(In fact in the last track you can hear someone moving something. A chair?) In
my experience with promos most of them are typically done in studios to get the
best quality of a performance for presentation. In this case you can really hear
Cory's skill live and it sounds great.
The only real draw back, however slightly, must be mentioned. After listening
past the first track, which I believe to be the best, Cory goes into a more
traditional route with slow laid back folk songs. Although he presents them
convincingly It worries me that he will fall into the doldrums of a band that
has only a few good songs and relies on old tried and true ideas where many
songs sound the same. The energy, style, and sophistication of the opening track
is something the band should examine closely because that is where Cory Chisel
is going to rise above the rest.
Final Verdict
Cory Chisel has great potential in that he is a competent singer and has good
song writing ability. Admittedly this is not my favorite style of music, but the
fact that I actually wanted to listen to this CD numerous times makes me
reconsider my previous notions. I look forward to seeing what Cory can really do
in the future and hope that he continues to be progressive in his approach.
Rating
8.75 out of 10
Cory Chisel Official Web
Site
Cory Chisel on
Myspace
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