What I love about Indie artists is that they take risks and that they have no set boundaries or limitations holding them back. A big-time record company isn’t telling these musicians what they should play and how it should sound. The outcome is usually downright raw and unpredictable, which I simply love!
Intended Creation is one person, Christa, and she embraces this sense of pure rawness wonderfully on her new release Awake. This Toronto-based singer/songwriter is also a multi-instrumentalist who plays acoustic guitar, electric bass, Roland V-Drums, grand piano and keyboards on her debut EP. Besides being a multi-dimensional artist, Intended Creation also mixes in various styles and genres of music. What you’re getting here is Christa experimenting with different types of sounds & musical patterns and the Intended Creation is whatever you get out of it. This ain’t rock, pop, disco, jazz, blues, rap, country, R&B, electronica, metal, alternative or classical; none of the above. Awake is simply a form of art and a music experiment that will open your eyes & ears.
The seven-track recording opens with a short ‘n’ sweet instrumental titled “Train”. Next up is “My Words”, which had a nice touch of acoustic guitar but vocally there seemed to be pitch problems. Christa’s singing style and voice on this number I personally wasn’t feeling as it just didn’t sound good to me at all. Following along, we get a song called “Wednesday” that added a wonderful sense of mystery & mystique thanks in part to the presence of piano. Track four “Fixated” got me focused on one thing and that was the piano. Intended Creation is simply shining here with the black & white keys making sweet noise. This fine piece also includes a French horn and flute solo to make “Wednesday” even more unique. Next up we have “Sylvia” that offers up out-of-tune or maybe even awkward-sounding guitar playing with an equally awkward vocal performance that unfortunately made for an unpleasant listening experience. I was so happy when I heard the next track “Only You” because everything worked perfectly here. Vocally & musically, Intended Creation was completely in sync and I felt she finally found her niche on this song. “Only You” was by far my favorite song on the EP because Christa truly felt it as she was in tune with herself and her audience. This was music to my ears! The Toronto musician ended the disc on a percussive note that was emphasized in such a cool fashion. The finale was called “Move” and for good reason with the drums and its beats dominating the track.
What I really enjoyed here with Intended Creation was how she wasn’t afraid to try new things and play with sound. The creativity and originality is totally there, but I would recommend working on vocal approach & delivery. I’ll end with two excellent quotes from the artist herself that pretty much sums up the record: “As an artist, this album was my exploration of genre/style, instrumentation, improvisation, expectation and the element of chance. I wanted to create something new, honest, and thought provoking.” I’ll have to agree with this statement and say that Intended Creation’s Awake opened up my mind.
By Jimmy Rae (jrae@skopemag.com)
[Rating: 3/5]
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