Entertainment Writer,
Seven12 Magazine
June 2012 to April 2013 - Online
Sadly, Seven12 closed, and my articles are no longer available for viewing online.
I have reproduced a selection from the articles below for your convenience.
Seven12 Magazine
June 2012 to April 2013 - Online
- Selected and researched topics for articles
- Wrote editorials and reviews on current entertainment trends
- Found and credited appropriate photos to accompany articles
- Selected keywords for Search Engine Optimization of articles (SEO)
Sadly, Seven12 closed, and my articles are no longer available for viewing online.
I have reproduced a selection from the articles below for your convenience.
Soft Swells May Have Missed its Wave
The new band Soft Swells, which just made the front page of MTV’s website with their new music video “The Summer Song,” brings a pleasing sound a little too late. As you may expect, “The Summer Song” is just that--a summer song, one released just as the department stores begin to roll out their Christmas displays. Great timing.
The song itself has an almost hypnotic pulse. Lightened with airy vocals, the music celebrates a plethora of summer activities. Its sound mimics the carefree feeling of a summer day: while every moment may be a beautiful memory in and of itself, all the moments blur together into one euphoric feeling. Soft Swells craftully balances all the pieces of the song to create a perfect summer soundtrack.
However, the release’s potential has been squelched by poor timing. This song’s peak might have been during the late summer months, as high-school and college students began preparing for back-to-school and as families returned from blissful vacations. The wishful, wistful feeling evoked by the melody of “The Summer Song” would have perfectly expressed the thoughts and feelings of students and professionals alike as one season passed to another. Even early fall might have been an alright choice; the current release, however, downgrades the song’s potential significantly. It will surely be helped by its prominence on the MTV website, but it cannot do nearly as well as it might have.
My best wishes to Soft Swells. Their songwriting is talented--but their catch-up to fame may prove more difficult than their songwriting deserves.
The new band Soft Swells, which just made the front page of MTV’s website with their new music video “The Summer Song,” brings a pleasing sound a little too late. As you may expect, “The Summer Song” is just that--a summer song, one released just as the department stores begin to roll out their Christmas displays. Great timing.
The song itself has an almost hypnotic pulse. Lightened with airy vocals, the music celebrates a plethora of summer activities. Its sound mimics the carefree feeling of a summer day: while every moment may be a beautiful memory in and of itself, all the moments blur together into one euphoric feeling. Soft Swells craftully balances all the pieces of the song to create a perfect summer soundtrack.
However, the release’s potential has been squelched by poor timing. This song’s peak might have been during the late summer months, as high-school and college students began preparing for back-to-school and as families returned from blissful vacations. The wishful, wistful feeling evoked by the melody of “The Summer Song” would have perfectly expressed the thoughts and feelings of students and professionals alike as one season passed to another. Even early fall might have been an alright choice; the current release, however, downgrades the song’s potential significantly. It will surely be helped by its prominence on the MTV website, but it cannot do nearly as well as it might have.
My best wishes to Soft Swells. Their songwriting is talented--but their catch-up to fame may prove more difficult than their songwriting deserves.
Country Music, Meet Adele
“There’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew...”
Adele’s #1 hit single “Set Fire to the Rain” swept the globe with its release in summer of 2011, and it has since inspired listeners and musicians of all kinds--even country musicians. Specifically, country music’s Dierks Bentley (who sings “What Was I Thinkin’” and “Free and Easy,” and is more recently known for his hit “5-1-5-0”) has taken Adele’s well-known breakup song and turned it country. His performance aired recently on CMT, as well as on the CMT website.
When he took on Adele, however, did Bentley take on too much?
“I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it...”
The feel to Adele’s song certainly lends itself to country music. Adele tells her story in a series of heartbroken metaphors, addressing her lover. She beautifully expresses her vulnerable state at the relationship’s beginning. She sings of her hopes--and her devastation, once she realized the true nature of the person she loved. The song’s haunting bridge is only topped by the chorus, in which she “sets fire to the rain” in her bitterness and pain.
“You and me together, nothing is better...”
Dierk’s slightly-raspy voice (slightly resembling Adele’s raspy tones) effectively carries the song’s emotional pull, even in his acoustic cover. Listeners can easily discern a mix of denial, bitterness, and raw hurt in the performance, with flashes of emotion lighting up the song like icy lightning splitting a stormy sky. Dierk’s performance is convincing emotionally--but musically, he was uncharacteristically bland.
“Well, it burned while I cried, ‘cause I heard it screaming out your name...”
Dierk’s musical style deviated from its usual variegated melody and rhythmic lines, instead followingAdele’s repetitive tendency. Though Adele’s rendition of “Set Fire to the Rain” used the repetition to create a haunting effect, Dierk’s acoustic version occasionally sounded monotonous. He might have benefitted from taking more liberties with the expression in the song. As it is, we can only imagine its potential.
“Even now when we’re already over, I can’t help myself from looking for you...”
Nevertheless, Dierk’s bold move in taking on Adele’s colossal hit was not without merit. Keeping a song’s character is no easy task, especially when changing genres; and for the most part, Bentley did an outstanding job. If you have a chance, be sure to look up the song on CMT’s website or YouTube. You won’t be disappointed.
"I heard it screaming out your name....your name...."
“There’s a side to you that I never knew, never knew...”
Adele’s #1 hit single “Set Fire to the Rain” swept the globe with its release in summer of 2011, and it has since inspired listeners and musicians of all kinds--even country musicians. Specifically, country music’s Dierks Bentley (who sings “What Was I Thinkin’” and “Free and Easy,” and is more recently known for his hit “5-1-5-0”) has taken Adele’s well-known breakup song and turned it country. His performance aired recently on CMT, as well as on the CMT website.
When he took on Adele, however, did Bentley take on too much?
“I let it fall, my heart, and as it fell you rose to claim it...”
The feel to Adele’s song certainly lends itself to country music. Adele tells her story in a series of heartbroken metaphors, addressing her lover. She beautifully expresses her vulnerable state at the relationship’s beginning. She sings of her hopes--and her devastation, once she realized the true nature of the person she loved. The song’s haunting bridge is only topped by the chorus, in which she “sets fire to the rain” in her bitterness and pain.
“You and me together, nothing is better...”
Dierk’s slightly-raspy voice (slightly resembling Adele’s raspy tones) effectively carries the song’s emotional pull, even in his acoustic cover. Listeners can easily discern a mix of denial, bitterness, and raw hurt in the performance, with flashes of emotion lighting up the song like icy lightning splitting a stormy sky. Dierk’s performance is convincing emotionally--but musically, he was uncharacteristically bland.
“Well, it burned while I cried, ‘cause I heard it screaming out your name...”
Dierk’s musical style deviated from its usual variegated melody and rhythmic lines, instead followingAdele’s repetitive tendency. Though Adele’s rendition of “Set Fire to the Rain” used the repetition to create a haunting effect, Dierk’s acoustic version occasionally sounded monotonous. He might have benefitted from taking more liberties with the expression in the song. As it is, we can only imagine its potential.
“Even now when we’re already over, I can’t help myself from looking for you...”
Nevertheless, Dierk’s bold move in taking on Adele’s colossal hit was not without merit. Keeping a song’s character is no easy task, especially when changing genres; and for the most part, Bentley did an outstanding job. If you have a chance, be sure to look up the song on CMT’s website or YouTube. You won’t be disappointed.
"I heard it screaming out your name....your name...."
Airy as a Feather, Solid as a Stone
Not many musicians can pull off an airy sound while distinguishing themselves as unique, but Michelle Featherstone breaks the mold.
Originally from England, Michelle Featherstone follows in the footsteps of Adele with soulful music from across the seas. However, Featherstone--unlike Adele--has chosen the route of a lighter, softer feel to her music, allowing her voice’s naturally litheness to carry the rippling melodies. The result is an enchanting blend of contemporary and almost Celtic-sounding music that is delighting American listeners from shore to shore.
If you haven’t heard of Featherstone, it’s probably because she has been writing and singing for television rather than albums. Her music has appeared on everything from Smallville to Bridge to Terabithia, but is just beginning to emerge independently: she’s released two albums (“Fallen Down” and “Blue Bike”) and one EP (“Loved”) that share her deeper musings and with her feminine individuality.
Musically, Featherstone’s songs are pleasing to listen to. She is often accompanied by light instrumentals. Her melodies avoid the cardinal sin of monotony (or the opposite fault of too much vocal acrobatics) while remaining memorable. Additionally, the overall production of her songs allows for a beautiful blend of instrumental and voice, resulting in an almost soothing collection of tunes.
Lyrically, however, Featherstone is rescued only by the thought behind her songs. Lyrics are not a strong point of Featherstone’s music: while her feelings are expressed, it is often in cheesy or cliche ways. For example, in the wedding song “We are Man and Wife,” Featherstone sings, “All the joy and all this love, and all that it is from above...So I give you heart and soul, its yours to take wherever you go.” The touching sentiment behind the lyrics easily covers the predictability, but for further success Featherstone might consider hiring a cowriter.
All in all, Michelle Featherstone is an up-and-coming artist whose airy voice uniquely expresses the deep ponderings of today’s women. Combining femininity and strength, Featherstone lives up to her name--she’s as light as a feather, but her soul is as strong as a rock.
Not many musicians can pull off an airy sound while distinguishing themselves as unique, but Michelle Featherstone breaks the mold.
Originally from England, Michelle Featherstone follows in the footsteps of Adele with soulful music from across the seas. However, Featherstone--unlike Adele--has chosen the route of a lighter, softer feel to her music, allowing her voice’s naturally litheness to carry the rippling melodies. The result is an enchanting blend of contemporary and almost Celtic-sounding music that is delighting American listeners from shore to shore.
If you haven’t heard of Featherstone, it’s probably because she has been writing and singing for television rather than albums. Her music has appeared on everything from Smallville to Bridge to Terabithia, but is just beginning to emerge independently: she’s released two albums (“Fallen Down” and “Blue Bike”) and one EP (“Loved”) that share her deeper musings and with her feminine individuality.
Musically, Featherstone’s songs are pleasing to listen to. She is often accompanied by light instrumentals. Her melodies avoid the cardinal sin of monotony (or the opposite fault of too much vocal acrobatics) while remaining memorable. Additionally, the overall production of her songs allows for a beautiful blend of instrumental and voice, resulting in an almost soothing collection of tunes.
Lyrically, however, Featherstone is rescued only by the thought behind her songs. Lyrics are not a strong point of Featherstone’s music: while her feelings are expressed, it is often in cheesy or cliche ways. For example, in the wedding song “We are Man and Wife,” Featherstone sings, “All the joy and all this love, and all that it is from above...So I give you heart and soul, its yours to take wherever you go.” The touching sentiment behind the lyrics easily covers the predictability, but for further success Featherstone might consider hiring a cowriter.
All in all, Michelle Featherstone is an up-and-coming artist whose airy voice uniquely expresses the deep ponderings of today’s women. Combining femininity and strength, Featherstone lives up to her name--she’s as light as a feather, but her soul is as strong as a rock.
Country Music Awards Red Carpet Fashions
The stars were not the only glimmering sight this Wednesday night. The Country Music Awards kicked off with a spectacular red carpet display, showing off the latest styles in western dresses--dresses that merit their own awards.
The award for classiest dress goes to Jordin Sparks, whose gown matched the orange-and-pink hue of a prairie sunset. The dress, like a sunset, is timeless: Uniting sheath and draped styles, Sparks showcased simplicity's unparalleled elegance. For a similar look (though in a different color), try Nordstrom’s Adrianna Papell Embellished Pleated Bodice Mesh Gown.
The Trend of Tomorrow award goes to Ashley Greene. The roaring twenties returned with her festive feathered skirt--adding momentum to the twenties' reemergence in the fashion world.
For successfully exhibiting a rather daring style, Paige Duke takes the award for Best Leap of Faith. Her dress' white ruffles brought a refreshing country/summer style to her outfit, while the elegant train added sophistication. The dress was a bit unusual, to be sure, but on Paige it was stunning.
Rachel Reinert’s dress earned the award for Casual Charmer: its southwestern style appeared almost ordinary, but Reinert’s confidence and joy gave her a brilliance. Her dress may have been casual, but it easily outshone some of the most sequin-studded garb on the CMT red carpet. Western maxi dresses can be found at a variety of clothing stores, but Dillards has one of the best selection of formal and casual maxi dresses you’ll find anywhere.
The night’s apparel carried some common themes. Many dresses used glimmer and sparkle to stand out (Carrie Underwood, Elizabeth Cook, and Denise Richards are good examples). Others brought complexity through ruffles, lace, or draping. Most of the artists left their hair free from complicated updos or expensive accessories, and many wore platforms or heels. Overall, however, simplicity proved to be the common thread: each artist only utilized a few modes of “dressing up” their outfit, allowing natural beauty to shine for itself. The CMT Awards’ fashion may have set the standard for summer formal wear, but it did more than that: it made a statement about the value of genuineness.
The stars were not the only glimmering sight this Wednesday night. The Country Music Awards kicked off with a spectacular red carpet display, showing off the latest styles in western dresses--dresses that merit their own awards.
The award for classiest dress goes to Jordin Sparks, whose gown matched the orange-and-pink hue of a prairie sunset. The dress, like a sunset, is timeless: Uniting sheath and draped styles, Sparks showcased simplicity's unparalleled elegance. For a similar look (though in a different color), try Nordstrom’s Adrianna Papell Embellished Pleated Bodice Mesh Gown.
The Trend of Tomorrow award goes to Ashley Greene. The roaring twenties returned with her festive feathered skirt--adding momentum to the twenties' reemergence in the fashion world.
For successfully exhibiting a rather daring style, Paige Duke takes the award for Best Leap of Faith. Her dress' white ruffles brought a refreshing country/summer style to her outfit, while the elegant train added sophistication. The dress was a bit unusual, to be sure, but on Paige it was stunning.
Rachel Reinert’s dress earned the award for Casual Charmer: its southwestern style appeared almost ordinary, but Reinert’s confidence and joy gave her a brilliance. Her dress may have been casual, but it easily outshone some of the most sequin-studded garb on the CMT red carpet. Western maxi dresses can be found at a variety of clothing stores, but Dillards has one of the best selection of formal and casual maxi dresses you’ll find anywhere.
The night’s apparel carried some common themes. Many dresses used glimmer and sparkle to stand out (Carrie Underwood, Elizabeth Cook, and Denise Richards are good examples). Others brought complexity through ruffles, lace, or draping. Most of the artists left their hair free from complicated updos or expensive accessories, and many wore platforms or heels. Overall, however, simplicity proved to be the common thread: each artist only utilized a few modes of “dressing up” their outfit, allowing natural beauty to shine for itself. The CMT Awards’ fashion may have set the standard for summer formal wear, but it did more than that: it made a statement about the value of genuineness.
Listen How You Like
How do you like your music?
As the music industry expands, this question becomes more and more important. A multiplicity of services exist for music-lovers in every genre--and in this article, I’ll highlight a few of the ones that are worth your time.
If you’re interested in listening to brand-new artists before their music hits mainstream radio, ReverbNation is the place to go. On ReverbNation.com, fans browse lists of professionals who are just beginning their career as pop, country, rock, and alternative, and hip-hop music stars. Locating artists using a variety of criteria (genre, location, and popularity, to name a few), listeners may enjoy complete songs online without purchasing any sort of subscription. As a bonus, ReverbNation’s “Rabbit Hole” feature enables a Pandora-like radio station--playing ReverbNation’s artists’ songs for your enjoyment.
For those of you running out of room on your iPods, Rdio (yes, “Radio” without an “a”) is a subscription-based service that allows you to play songs from their database. They provide whatever songs you want, whenever you want, with no ads; in addition to streaming music over wifi, Rdio syncs music with your phone so that you can listen to the music even when you have internet or phone reception. Free accounts are available for a limited (and undefined) amount of music enjoyment.
Anyone addicted to Facebook and Twitter will enjoy Blip. It’s the new way to share music--simply create a “DJ” name, log in with your social network ID (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and several others are all supported), and you can add music tracks to your tweets and status updates (Or, if you look at it from my perspective, you get to add tweets and statuses to your music). Listen to what your friends are listening to, reply to messages with soundtracks...it’s the ultimate combination of music and people.
While we’re on the topic of social networks, Ping is Apple’s iTunes-based social network for fans musicians. Though not exactly a way to listen to music, Ping is a great way to connect with artists and fans from your favorite artists. Because it’s part of iTunes, buying music from Ping is easy.
The number of services providing free streaming music is quickly growing. As technology expands, new ways to listen to music will spawn faster than you can say “playback.” But even while we throw out our old cassette tapes and take advantage of technology’s advancements, our favorite music will always be a critical piece of our identity.
How do you like your music?
How do you like your music?
As the music industry expands, this question becomes more and more important. A multiplicity of services exist for music-lovers in every genre--and in this article, I’ll highlight a few of the ones that are worth your time.
If you’re interested in listening to brand-new artists before their music hits mainstream radio, ReverbNation is the place to go. On ReverbNation.com, fans browse lists of professionals who are just beginning their career as pop, country, rock, and alternative, and hip-hop music stars. Locating artists using a variety of criteria (genre, location, and popularity, to name a few), listeners may enjoy complete songs online without purchasing any sort of subscription. As a bonus, ReverbNation’s “Rabbit Hole” feature enables a Pandora-like radio station--playing ReverbNation’s artists’ songs for your enjoyment.
For those of you running out of room on your iPods, Rdio (yes, “Radio” without an “a”) is a subscription-based service that allows you to play songs from their database. They provide whatever songs you want, whenever you want, with no ads; in addition to streaming music over wifi, Rdio syncs music with your phone so that you can listen to the music even when you have internet or phone reception. Free accounts are available for a limited (and undefined) amount of music enjoyment.
Anyone addicted to Facebook and Twitter will enjoy Blip. It’s the new way to share music--simply create a “DJ” name, log in with your social network ID (Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and several others are all supported), and you can add music tracks to your tweets and status updates (Or, if you look at it from my perspective, you get to add tweets and statuses to your music). Listen to what your friends are listening to, reply to messages with soundtracks...it’s the ultimate combination of music and people.
While we’re on the topic of social networks, Ping is Apple’s iTunes-based social network for fans musicians. Though not exactly a way to listen to music, Ping is a great way to connect with artists and fans from your favorite artists. Because it’s part of iTunes, buying music from Ping is easy.
The number of services providing free streaming music is quickly growing. As technology expands, new ways to listen to music will spawn faster than you can say “playback.” But even while we throw out our old cassette tapes and take advantage of technology’s advancements, our favorite music will always be a critical piece of our identity.
How do you like your music?