Komplettes MP3 Album von Michele Ari
Angegebene Spieldauer: 22:39
Veröffentlichungsdatum: 2005-05-03
Kurz-Beschreibung von CDbaby: Ignoring trendy rock subgenres Michele’s music is delivered with a powerful smoked-honey voice that’s equal parts innocence and hard-learned lessons. Her powerful vocals and straightforward lyrics combined with 80’s new wave,60’s pop & a splash of country

Käufer, die sich für (Blondie The Velvet Underground Jefferson Airplane) interessieren sollten sich dieses Album anhören.

Weitere Informationen vom Distributor:
FROM WHISPERIN AND HOLLERIN:
’Ari, Michele’
’85th and Nowhere’


- Genre: ’Punk/New Wave’ - Release Date: ’June 2005’


Our Rating: 8 out of ten stars
Remember the climax of 10,000 Maniacs’ "Eat for Two" when Natalie Merchant’s bare voice fades from view with the fragility of a little girl? That’s how Florida-based singer/songwriter Michele Ari’s debut album, "85th and Nowhere," opens with the jangling first cut "My Sleeping Beauty." Sounding nothing like most of today’s few female alternative-rock vocalists, who are often lacking the emotional rush of their ’80s predecessors, Ari (http://www.micheleari.com) has a bittersweet vocal style that is at once enigmatic and revealing.

"My Sleeping Beauty" spellbinds with its jagged, ringing guitars a la vintage Peter Buck and Ari’s stormy-day singing. It’s the perfect song for an evening drive, filled with mystery and mesmerizing chime. "Please" continues to the record’s hypnotic pull, and it becomes obvious that there is an undeniable power in Ari’s voice. Like Merchant, her vocals grab the ears and refuse to part with them. She isn’t seducing the listener as much as putting them in a trance.

"Nevermind" and "1,000 Kisses" flirt with country inspirations; however, the bulk of "85th and Nowhere" is a throwback to moody mid-’80s college rock. The self-deprecating "Pretty" is Ari’s little masterpiece, as haunting as the Velvet Underground’s "Femme Fatale." It’s a track that R.E.M. will probably want to cover, too. Ari’s melancholic singing on "Pretty" is heartbreaking and astonishing.

FROM INK 19:


The Collegiate Girl is back.

Don’t misunderstand -- the Collegiate Girl is not a singular person. Rather, it’s almost like a genre. Back in the late ’80s, there were a number of female artists, such as 10,000 Maniacs, Suzanne Vega and Edie Brickell, who rebelled against the superficial pop of Madonna, opting for well-written verses and a down-to-earth image and voice. Ever since the arrival of Tori Amos and Hole in the early ’90s, though, that all changed. It wasn’t cool -- or commercially viable enough -- for a woman to write smart, poetic lyrics without an accompanying rage.

Singer/songwriter Michele Ari doesn’t sound angry at all; what was once the alternative is now the alternative to the alternative. Yes, Ari is old school; the jangling guitars on "My Sleeping Beauty" could’ve been found on any Guadalcanal Diary record in a campus station’s vinyl archives. Her vocals are subdued, moody and very pretty on "Pretty," a revealing look at a woman’s psyche when her self-confidence has eroded and all she feels she has left is her physical beauty. "Pretty" epitomizes the Collegiate Girl mystique: wounded, intelligent and dark. Ari probably cried to Morrissey songs in her dorm room -- and we certainly need more women like that. At times, she sounds a little bit like Chrissie Hynde, although not as ticked off.

Those who miss the Collegiate Girl will be kicking themselves if they pass this up.

Michele Ari: www.micheleari.com
Kyrby Raine


FROM THE WIG FITS ALL HEADS:

Michele Ari
85th and Nowhere
by Karla Ash

Florida-based singer/songwriter Michele Ari is not cut from the same cloth as most of today’s female rockers. While guitar-strapped chicks these days seem to take their cues from either Courtney Love or Jewel, Ari seems indifferent to both. In fact, there’s nothing on 85th and Nowhere that suggests she even listened to either artist, as the dominant sound here is left-of-the-dial riff rock. Her setup is guitar-bass-drums but nothing that’ll bleed the ears. She’s not into cranking the amps; instead, as on the first tune "My Sleeping Beauty," her and her rhythm section lock onto a groove and don’t let go. Less than two decades ago songs such as "My Sleeping Beauty" were common on college radio. And, no, that’s not a knock on her lack of originality as she’s summoning, not plagiarizing, what worked in the past. Although the music is dated by the memories they revive, it’s actually timeless.

Ari has a pleasing, pleasant voice. She has that girl-next-door quality to her singing that is appealing and was once considered sexy by campus DJs--probably still is. She reaches the highest of highs on "Pretty," a brutally honest look at her insecurities that seems to have been ripped from a diary. This is a subtle, emotionally powerful record that is personal and addicting. Keep an eye out for this lady; she is going places.

More information on Michele Ari can be found at her website, http://www.micheleari.com.