That's right, you are getting two reviews from me today! I'll try to post at least one review a day. Today, we are looking at Vanessa Carlton, singer of "A Thousand Miles". Just that title probably has the song stuck in your head.
History lesson! Vanessa Carlton actually started out wanting to be a ballet dancer, even graduating from the School of American Ballet before deciding to pursue singing instead. She sang in bars and clubs while attending university before recording a demo with producer Peter Zizzo (who also was responsible for getting Avril Lavigne started, as well as writing songs for artists as varied as Diana Ross and Clay Aiken).
3 months later, she joined a record label and began recording her album, which was unsuccessful until she had Ron Fair (mentor of Christina Aguilera and Black Eyed Peas) produce it, which gave her the one hit of "A Thousand Miles".
Music is instantly recognizable, starting with a pretty sounding, and complex, piano line, with drums and some cellos kicking in during the verse. As for the singing, Vanessa Carlton clearly isn't very old, but she still has a solid voice. Just one that needs a bit of maturing.
The lyrics, on the surface, are basically love song stuff, saying that she wants to see her lover, saying she would walk a thousand miles just to see him again. However, the song is a bit more of a tearjerker if you realize that she wrote the song not about a lover she was separated from, but about her dead grandfather.
Taken at face value, the song is a pretty good love song, one that could benefit from a stronger singer. However, with the background of knowing what the song was originally written about...let's just say ignorance is bliss, because this song is actually quite depressing when you realize what is separating her from the person is not just distance, but death. Overall, rather solid song from her, considering her relatively young age at the time she recorded it (early twenties).
She actually did have another hit off the same album in "Ordinary Day", which peaked at #30. Recorded in one sitting, it's a happier song than "A Thousand Miles", but is driven by the same style of music. Unfortunately, her voice shows a bit more strain when she tries to sing about her range, which is fairly limited, and the lyrics sound like they were written by a teenager...which they were. Basically, it's a love song talking about an "ordinary boy".
Her next albums were not as successful as the first album, which went platinum. One of the songs off of her next album is "White Houses", a song that is essentially about losing your innocence, including a verse with her losing her virginity. It still has the piano/cello music. However, it's surprising how much her voice has matured in just a year. She still has a limited range, but she seems more aware of her limits.
In the end, should she have had more hits? I think so. She's still working at her craft, so it is possible that she may make a comeback. If her voice matures fully, and she stays aware of her limits, she might make a comeback.
Previously: Vanilla Ice [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.825010-One-Hit-Wonderful-Vanilla-Ice]
Next: Boomtown Rats [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.825215-One-Hit-Wonderful-The-Boomtown-Rats]
History lesson! Vanessa Carlton actually started out wanting to be a ballet dancer, even graduating from the School of American Ballet before deciding to pursue singing instead. She sang in bars and clubs while attending university before recording a demo with producer Peter Zizzo (who also was responsible for getting Avril Lavigne started, as well as writing songs for artists as varied as Diana Ross and Clay Aiken).
3 months later, she joined a record label and began recording her album, which was unsuccessful until she had Ron Fair (mentor of Christina Aguilera and Black Eyed Peas) produce it, which gave her the one hit of "A Thousand Miles".
The phrase "beautifully ordinary" comes to mind.
Music is instantly recognizable, starting with a pretty sounding, and complex, piano line, with drums and some cellos kicking in during the verse. As for the singing, Vanessa Carlton clearly isn't very old, but she still has a solid voice. Just one that needs a bit of maturing.
The lyrics, on the surface, are basically love song stuff, saying that she wants to see her lover, saying she would walk a thousand miles just to see him again. However, the song is a bit more of a tearjerker if you realize that she wrote the song not about a lover she was separated from, but about her dead grandfather.
Taken at face value, the song is a pretty good love song, one that could benefit from a stronger singer. However, with the background of knowing what the song was originally written about...let's just say ignorance is bliss, because this song is actually quite depressing when you realize what is separating her from the person is not just distance, but death. Overall, rather solid song from her, considering her relatively young age at the time she recorded it (early twenties).
She actually did have another hit off the same album in "Ordinary Day", which peaked at #30. Recorded in one sitting, it's a happier song than "A Thousand Miles", but is driven by the same style of music. Unfortunately, her voice shows a bit more strain when she tries to sing about her range, which is fairly limited, and the lyrics sound like they were written by a teenager...which they were. Basically, it's a love song talking about an "ordinary boy".
Her next albums were not as successful as the first album, which went platinum. One of the songs off of her next album is "White Houses", a song that is essentially about losing your innocence, including a verse with her losing her virginity. It still has the piano/cello music. However, it's surprising how much her voice has matured in just a year. She still has a limited range, but she seems more aware of her limits.
In the end, should she have had more hits? I think so. She's still working at her craft, so it is possible that she may make a comeback. If her voice matures fully, and she stays aware of her limits, she might make a comeback.
Previously: Vanilla Ice [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.825010-One-Hit-Wonderful-Vanilla-Ice]
Next: Boomtown Rats [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.825215-One-Hit-Wonderful-The-Boomtown-Rats]
