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Andrew Cornelius
is an artist with a passion for playing and performing his original music for
the masses, and, just like every other band out there, he is working and
scraping, trying to get his music into the hands of anyone that will listen! As
all Independent artists will tell you, it’s not easy to capture the attention of
music fans who are most comfortable with the tried and true music of major label
artists; if you can get just one person to stop, and listen to your music,
you’ve accomplished something! Even if it’s not their cup of tea, it’s good to
know that their opinion of your music is based on their experience of hearing
it, and not just on hearsay, or an attitude of apathy for the unknown.
Here at MWB, we get a lot of appreciative comments from artists when we email
them, and tell them that we’ve heard their music. Even when I review their work,
and am not totally thrilled with it, people are appreciative, because they know
that we’ve taken the time to listen to the work that they are doing, and that
our opinion, good or bad, is based on that experience! The constructive
criticism is often something that they’ve needed to hear, because people really
don’t like to criticize an artist’s work, and people close to the project
(family members, good friends) often have a bias toward thinking their work is
better than it really is, because they love and care for the artist! In the end,
hearing an honest opinion is a good thing, and knowing that the work has been
heard is another achievement to celebrate.
In the case of
Andrew Cornelius,
I believe that he is also anxious for people to hear his music, because of the
message of hope that he offers! That may or not be his chief goal as a musician,
but it is something that is inevitable. Just one more reason that drives
Andrew
as an artist!
The title of this CD,
A New Beginning, is a reference to the new direction that
Andrew
is taking his music. His first release, Never Going Back, was a
very eclectic mix of styles and genres. On
A New Beginning,
there is a more focused effort on writing/recording music that flows from one
song to another. The process of assembling material that 'fits' as a package is
probably as difficult as actually composing and arranging individual songs.
Here,
Andrew
has done a very good job of creating a collection of songs that 'fit' well
together.
As with most DIY projects, there are moments when everything comes together, and
other moments where the artist should have paid more attention! Recording,
producing, and mastering your own music is a daunting challenge; if you don’t
have a voice from outside your own head providing input, there is a chance that
small details can be overlooked, or that the mixing of tracks could be flawed a
bit. This is the case on some of the songs on
A New Beginning.
Vocal tracks are often buried by the guitar tracks, and at times, the bottom end
gets totally washed out. The guitar parts are well executed, and the layering of
parts is solid, but the dynamics and mixing could be better. There are also a
couple of songs that are a bit odd ('Don’t Look Back', and 'Alone', to be
specific); perhaps other songs might have been put on the CD in place of these
two.
I don’t want to neglect the good tracks, or the positive qualities that
A New Beginning
offers, either!
Andrew
is a very good songwriter; his skills shine on songs like 'Run to Me', and
'Father'. Both of those songs are very well-written, and very well mixed! Other
favorites are 'The Silence Between Us', 'Falling', and 'All Creation'. More time
seems to have been spent in authoring and mastering these tracks. They flow
well, and aren’t as harsh as other tracks. Also, the vocals are a bit more
subdued on these tracks. I like
Andrew’s
voice better when he’s not really pushing for volume or emphasis. At those
times, pitch seems to go off a bit, and his voice takes on a different sound
that isn’t as pleasing to the ear. On the tracks that I mention above, his voice
sounds very natural! None of the emotion is lacking at all, so the more
easy-going sound wins the day, from my perspective.
A New Beginning
is a great vehicle to showcase the talent, and the message of
Andrew Cornelius.
As he continues to evolve and mature as an artist, his work will continue to get
better and better! I also think that in the future, it would be good for him to
establish a relationship with a producer that can help him with mastering and
overall sound issues. Iron out those areas, and a killer album will definitely
be the result!
I like
Andrew,
and I would recommend that you check out
A New Beginning.
The packaging for his CD isn’t very flashy; however, he has included a lyric
sheet, and is autographing every CD he puts out! Those kind of touches show that
he is an artist that appreciates every person that gets to hear his music! As a
listener, that is one more reason that I will pay attention, and notice the
music and the message.
Andrew
is well on his way to achieving his goals as a musician, and to blazing a new
trail for himself with
A New Beginning!
---Mark Lush, MWB
12/10/03
*Listen for
Andrew Cornelius
on
MWB RADIO!
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