Eliott James crafts a hypnotic synnergy of beats and grooves
D. Ledonne | Alamosa, CO | 01/24/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I played nearly all this CD on my radio show tonight. I generally don't allow an artist more than 10 minutes at a time but James' music was so dynamic, so enrapturing that it demanded the listener's ear on every track. From mellow to upbeat, long strings to jazz-like sax solos, synthesized beats to sampled natural soundscapes, "Cinematic Life" holds onto you the whole disc through."
The big screen for the mind
medievalcrusadesbabe | Ohio USA | 03/15/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Electronic rock is Mr. James forte, and this CD presents some of the best electronic I've heard since Alan Parsons Project. This is an all instrumental composition, with a total playing time of about an hour.
The fusion is rock, jazz and most definitely all electronic. This is smooth beat, and in some instances very dramatic, invoking a feeling of Cinematic grandness, hence the title.
The compositions are for electronic keyboard and guitar. There is some flashy guitar, some soft rock base, percussion that causes your feet to tap in time and a gentle jazzy sway to the feel of the music.
The titles sometimes evoke a feeling to the music, but the music speaks for itself. The lead off "say it" is very jazzy with a great backbeat. The CD progresses forward from there, never stopping to look back till the end.
second chance presents electronic guitar with electronic backfill and complimentary keyboard to give us a good composition and again, creating the grand feeling of cinema. Could be a theme song for a movie.
I like the electronic bits this music has to offer. Some distorted guitar in the track in the deep gives a touch of surrealism to the composition. The scale running up and down gives a feeling of movement to the music and I came away with a feeling of a Dali ocean painting in motion, very graceful, in a distinct sort of way.
say it reprises at the end of this CD, and we come back to where we began. We are brought back to the beginning of our trip, and we settle in to reflect on the ride.
Overall a nice presentation, and while a few bits disappointed, the overall picture is exciting and very energetic. A nice work by Eliott James and hopefully he will explore this genre further with another CD. maf"
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1