Get your pop rocks on with a slight alternative twist on Estrella Cristina’s newest release, This Is Life. Having ties and roots to Panama, Trinidad and the U.S., Cristina brings a diverse vibe along with a deep love for music itself. Being named after a star in Spanish, Estrella, could it be that this pop/rocker is destined to become a music star? All of that aside, it is quite evident that this 4-Song EP packs some punch from a musical and artistic standpoint.
This singer/songwriter/guitarist actually has names for her guitars! One acoustic guitar is called Phoenix, one electric guitar is named Crimson and the acoustic-electric guitar is titled Achilles. Showing immense creativity, it slides right into her ability to play and perform. The title and meaning of the 4-track set actually signifies Cristina’s personal thoughts and recollections of all her experiences since moving to LA to pursue her music career. Estrella is extremely reflective on this album and it comes across to the listener as a well-put-together, real-life-story. Her story-telling and lyrical abilities are quite impressive for this young Estrella.
This multi-dimensional pop/rock diva collaborated with some very special guests that provided their own musical talents along with some production wisdom. Frank Coglitore on bass, Craig Macintyre on drums, Lance Konnerth on guitar along with singer/songwriters, Lane Lenhart & Greg Haptor all helped make this record happen. All artists came together with Cristina at the core to make one nice piece of work. In a sense, all of the stars aligned during the making, recording and production of this album.
On the track, “Brighter Than Sunshine” co-written by Coglitore, Estrella speaks of a foreign place to her, LA, not knowing anything or anybody and feeling very lonely. The twist of the song though is that she finds music to be her only hope and source of happiness. Cristina stated that she “kind of uses the idea of a romantic connection with another person as a metaphor for my ongoing love affair with music!” This is a truly deep and poetic concept for this young artist, in which her words definitely shine through on This Is Life. One line that really sticks out for me is on “In Between Days” when she sings: “Yesterday I got so old, I felt like I could die”. Most artists or really just people in general look back at the past for great memories and such especially as we get older. What Estrella did hear is play with that idea by associating the past, yesterday, with feeling old. Instead of conventionally looking to the future as growing older and eventually dying, she reversed it up on us. Very unique approach as it really makes you stop and think about the unconventional phrasing.
One other key element of the record is Estrella’s vocal ability to really intrigue the listener. You get a sense of a very sensual & dedicated woman singing here that comes across as a very mature approach. But then, you also hear a very sweet & innocent-sounding voice that appears to be candy-coated with sugar and spice. The mixture of the serious, grown-up mentality with the girly-girl-next-door-without-a-care-in-the-world approach is very captivating. Seems Estrella Cristina just might have found her perfect companion in this life.
For more on Estrella Cristina and the new EP, This Is Life, SKOPE out www.estrellacristina.com.
By Jimmy Rae
[Rating: 4/5]
