Medina - Paper LightWhat is your old pal, Leon Peralta, doing reviewing a Warner Records album? Has Leon Peralta finally sold out? Nah, well, sort of... I'm getting paid in endorsements by Warner Records for doing reviews for them. Which is great because they go right to paying for this damn website. The things I do for you people, I could have just made a Tumblr but that wasn't good enough for any of you! Do you know what I went through to get this up and running? A lot! Be grateful, son! Nah, I kid. It's a great opportunity for me to get discovered as a freelance journalist and maybe land an actual job as a journalist.
Anyway, I had reviewed Medina's single Sundown and I guess some business man up at Warner Records read it and was pretty impressed with it because I had gotten an email from their business email address with the subject. "Commission from Warner Records and Artist Medina!" I first though that this was really sketchy and I was probably going to end up communicating with Indian scammers. This wasn't the case, however. The man introduced himself and told me his credentials and then asked me to do a detailed review of Medina's new album and they'd be using excerpts from the review on their websites as well as liner notes. They offered me a handsome amount of money through endorsements, I guess they're my journalistic leech now, but, the money sounded pretty sweet so I rolled with it. It was then that I began listening to the first seven tracks which were streaming online.
Blue SideTrack one: Fool of The NightWe begin this album with bass heavy, pitched drums and chopped up vocal samples which cut right into Medina's first words of the album, "So it was all about the money." At this point, the meaning of the song is obvious. Medina is singing about being in a relationship with a man who only wanted her for her money. Which, is pretty shallow and as an empathetic person, I feel for her. Clearly, she would have been under the impression that this guy truly loved her, only to find out he actually didn't. That has to hurt a lot, to realize something like this. You can hear these emotions play out in Medina's tone of voice as well as the minor key. The song has a very strong synthpop vibe and it's one of the only songs that actually utilizes this. What I really like about this track is that her vocals fit in perfectly with the instrumentals. The two bounce off of each other and create harmony. However, in the chorus, the dynamic power dips up and in the next verse, it suddenly dips back down. It feels almost a little too choppy and it could have done better with a decrescendo. Nevertheless, I think this is a standout track. Like I said in the Cristina Lake review. A good first track can go a long way and Medina utilized that in this one.
Track two: Trouble feat. Johnny CarterFrom the moment these two came together, their paths have crossed. From them becoming good friends, to me reviewing them both in a double header review, and to the two being picked up roughly two weeks apart from each other. It is absolutely no surprise that these two are collaborating. These two could easily be the future of pop as they're both picking up steam pretty quickly. Reverbed drums kick off a powerful 12/8 series of lines from Medina. The spotlight then goes to Johnny Carter who sings with power and a little bit of rasp that can easily be shaken off as groovy. This leads them into the chorus where they both start singing. They sing with a really strong power and harmony. The bass drum is still very prevalent but it fits with their vocal power. However, I feel like it could do much better with more synth action rather than kick drum, it gets to a point where it feels a little too strong. Also, the synths feel a little too quiet on this track all together. If they could match that same power that Medina and Johnny's vocals have. It would make this song feel a little more complete.
Track three: Goodbye feat. My Own ViolenceAhh, My Own Violence! One of my good friends who has been in some very powerful collaborations, including touring with Kidd Amaze and writing Come Alive by Reese Hollinsworth! I knew I was in for a treat when I found out he had produced this. He starts it off with a house like piano lead, which I believe is actually sampled from Medina herself. He then leads it right into a four on the floor bass drum as well as off beat hi-hats. While I enjoy this drum beat, it feels very dry. I feel like he could have done more to make that a little less dry. Maybe a heavier sidechain or something. Anyway, less about him. Medina is the feature of this song, she fills the room with a soft yet very flourishing tone.
What I can gather is that she is singing about saying goodbye to her love. However, she only subtly eludes to this meaning as it was harder for me to spot this meaning. She did a great job writing this and I feel like it'd be better if a lot of the instrumental breaks which fill up a lot of the seven minute song would feature her vocals. The instrumental breaks, however, don't get boring. The whole time, there is differentiation which makes this song a lot more interesting to listen to. While this song isn't necessarily my favorite on the album, I admire Medina's vocal abilities in this track.
Track four: I'm All AloneWe hear more of Medina's crack piano playing utilized as she sings about loneliness, which for me is a very relatable topic, considering, I don't have a girlfriend and I live alone. :( The song is a perfect transition from Goodbye because it's about her saying goodbye to her love and then, this song shows the ramifications of that. I back this up with the chorus, in which she states Now I'm all alone, All you had to do was let "go"?" Which also implies that while her love had to do nothing to get over her, she's very distraught over this relationship's end.One thing I should point out is that she is very sophisticated writer. She breaks the stereotype of pop singers singing at a third grade level by using larger more sophisticated words. I applaud her for using a lot more creativity in these lyrics rather than flat out telling us the lyrics.
Track five: Burning JeansThe next song in line brings us more of an empowerment feel rather than the somber, depressed feel that the majority of the album has given me. Her vocals are very power and this song gives me a tribal vibe as it utilizes low, very powerful drums. While I usually complain about vocals not having enough power. This one actually feels like it has a little too much power. I had to turn it down a little bit because of it's power. I do have to applaud this instrumentals though. The whole song has a very strong rave vibe. I could absolutely see this song at a club or something. It almost straddles around a goa vibe as well, which happens to be my favorite genre of electronic. Since this side is the sad side of the album, I feel as we get deeper into the album, Medina will begin to crawl out of this pit of woe and sing about moving on. It'd be cool to see this as a concept album and I hope it goes deeper in a story line.
Track six: Heart and SoulWe're greeted by another piano sample which leads into Medina's smooth vocals. She sings in a slightly higher pitch than she has in the previous songs though she utilizes more vibrato which makes an interesting sound. It reminds me of some kind of europop singer. She sings about not letting her sadness getting to her, which gives me faith in this being a concept album. She uses a lot of vocal power, though less than before. It than builds up into an interesting chorus type vocal break in which her vocals are sampled and glitched as a lead. I think it's cool that she utilizes something as unique as that. She also uses powerful instrumentals to compliment that vocal lead This is very much a standout track because of its unique sound and it's club feel. It uses this club feel but it doesn't go overboard on the banger vibe and I like that a lot.
Track seven: Never Coming BackWe have made it to the end of the blue side of the album. We conclude it with an interesting grass whistle sounding lead. It has this happy quality, almost like the game Yoshi's Story on the Nintendo 64. Medina sings with a passion that gives off an inspirational vibe and it's a very pleasant listen. She also uses atmospheric pads and she leaves her vocals as the main feature but it works in this song. However, when the chorus kicks in, it becomes almost cheesy emotional and inspirational, like a rich white woman puts it in a marathon slideshow or something. However, in context of this side of the album. It works very well as Medina has climbed out of this pit of emotional issues. She states that "She has escaped" and she is "Never coming back." I can only imagine that she poured her all her emotions into this song and sometimes, the background of a song is the best part. Sometimes, there's a personal meaning attached to a song that isn't actually included in the lyrics; and sometimes, it just makes a song better.
Chartreuse SideTrack eight: The DayWe've finished the blue side and we now move onto the second side, the chartreuse song. She should have called it green, chartreuse is a gross word. I'm docking this album at least five points now. Done, review over. Go home. Aesthetics aside, we start with The Day. Which starts with a very 80's pop synth lead. It takes us into a modern pop sound with Medina's vocals, which have a high treble quality. She uses strong vocal power, but it fits with the song. It's not too much or too little. The second verse comes in and a funky bass slap catches my attention. This song uses a lot of subtle sounds to fill it. The chorus however, kind of annoys me. I feel like she repeats "one day" too many times though it would sound weird if it was something other than "one day." I guess I can't win sometimes. Otherwise, this song is very powerful, Medina's lyrics are great as usual. I want to see her start writing for other people, she's just so talented.
Track nine: Where To GoThe next song starts out with piano chords along with Medina's vocals picking up into beat one. This feels a little rushed and it feels off. Like she came in too early and the producer tried to save it. That being said, vocally, it's also a little hard to listen to. She shifts her vocal style in this song to have more of a raspy quality. However, the production into the chorus is really cool. It uses a heavy bass drum to keep the song on beat along with some neat string samples. It's definitely a saving point of the song. I can't help but also admire her lyrics in this one. Rather than writing about love and other poppy things, she writes about wondering what happens when we die and where we go. She takes a less mainstream approach in this meaning and it's kind of weird to hear something so philosophical in a pop song but I love it. I got to a point where I quit listening to her vocals and I started listening to what she was singing and I'm so impressed by it.
Track ten: Unorthodox Life feat. Erik ZulloOne thing I've loved about this album is that her collaborations are very powerful. Anyone she collaborates with, she brings out a lot of chemistry with. The song starts out with string samples and a very strong hip hop vibe. The vocals start out with Erik who brings a lot of self harmonizing power to the table. His lyrics flow almost like a rap song but it's not actually rap. It's a strange sound but I can't not admire it. It fits with the heavy 808 kick. The chorus comes in and we hear a glitched 808 hi-hat which is one of my all time favorite things in anything electronic. It complements Medina's vocals in the chorus very well. There's not very much to say about this particular track because it stays pretty consistent throughout the whole thing. I guess I conclude this track by saying it's a standout track because of the intense vocal chemistry throughout the track. I can't wait to see who else Medina will collaborate with in the future.
Track eleven: Achieved What I Had To BeThis track starts out with a simple guitar and bass riff. It's very reminiscent of Coldplay with 808s. A cutoff sweep leads her into the chorus where she uses intense self harmonized power. This song has a very strong emotional feel to it due to the use of string samples and Medina using a falsetto. The song uses a lot of fancy production techniques such as several cutoff sweeps and drum samples which lead us into every verse. Lyrically, we can infer that she's completely past the blue side of the album. She sings about how she's found a new man and from what I can infer, she says that losing someone she loved was an important obstacle that she had to reach to be who she is today. Which I think is very inspirational and emotional. While I can't relate to it personally, I feel the trueness of the meaning. We all need obstacles in our lives to be the person we strive to be.
Track twelve: Switching TideAs we achieve what we had to be, we are given a party bass and drum combo, following Medina's reverbed vocals, which actually give this song a production quality that we haven't seen in this album very often. While it has that going for it, I can't say I'm a fan of the instrumentals of this piece. They're a little too much of like a party anthem vibe, almost like it's trying to impose this feeling of "Wooo! I feel great! Parrrrrtyyy!" on you. Almost like those party women who casually wear bikinis while clubbing and drink margaritas and shit. Though the song is saved by one redeeming quality: the lyrics. This has some very powerful lyrics as well as a vague meaning that leaves it up to your own interpretation.
Track thirteen: Just StayThe next track starts out with a neat little guitar riff that takes a quick rest to bring Medina's vocals in. She sings in a calm tone. The song itself reminds me of Ratatat's Creme on Chrome because of it's powerful drum grooves and subtle cutoff sweeps. What I love about the instrumentals is that the instrumentals are used to harmonize with Medina's vocals, rather than using her voice, though we hear her self harmonizing in the chorus. Following suit to the last song, this song has a very strong party vibe, though this one does it better because it doesn't feel forced. The party vibes just kind of ooze out of this song instead of shooting out at you.
Track fourteen: My ChoirSo we conclude this album with a house piano chord lead with Medina singing with a woeful tone in her voice. This song isn't ballady enough to be a closing track. Moving on. Thanks for reading my review. See you next time. 0/10 album. Tisha Jackson reviews from now on. Nah, in all seriousness, this song is a very powerful closer though previous tracks could have easily taken its place as a closer. However, it works because it is a gay acceptance track, as you can see in the lyrics, it inspires people of the LGBTQA community to empower themselves and stand up for their right to be loved and accepted the way they want to; and that's very powerful and I appreciate that she's reaching out to the LGBTQA community in that way. She wants her "choir" to sing and rise up to be known. If you look hard enough into this song, it's a very emotionally charged track, especially since now that gay marriage is legal though there's still a lot of discrimination that can happen to these people so it's good to know that there are musicians and people of celebrity status who stand up with these people and identify as an ally.
OverallOverall, I throughly enjoyed listen to this album. It brought a side of pop I haven't enjoyed in the past and made it very much enjoyable. Like I said, Medina is a genius songwriter and it was a redeeming quality in several songs. The LGBTQA acceptance song was a great way to end the album, which I thought was a great experience. Though there were flaws in this album, nothing can be perfect, especially a freshman album. Medina has made a killer freshman album and I think we can expect perfection in the next run.
Standout tracks: Fool Of The Night, Trouble ft. Johnny Carter, Heart and Soul, The Day, Unorthodox Life ft. Erik Zullo, Just Stay, My Choir
Paper Light - Medina: 8/10 Bonus Review: Johnny Carter - Grind
I was asked to review Johnny Carter's Grind around the same time I started reviewing Paper Light and I ended up blowing this one off for a while so I figured I'd merge both reviews into one post. So here we go: Johnny Carter's Grind. What comes to mind when you hear "Grind" as a title? Duh, sex. This song is probably playing in the bedrooms of every young couple out there. It's top baby making music. I mean, the first verse literally thrusts you into sexual intercourse and it doesn't stop there. The song instrumentally has a very strong R&B vibe, I'm not sure if I feel that the urban vibe of it is necessary for this song. Especially for Johnny Carter; the song feels too black for him to handle. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the vibe of the song as well as the dancey nature of it. I have been watching him grow as a musician and I do think that he's talented, plus he's evolved a lot from Deadly Love. This song feels a little more confident, so it's great to see him come out of his shell. Thanks for reading both reviews! I'll have two new reviews this weekend!
Johnny Carter - Grind 7/10 