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Alice Milburn - ‘Not Yours’ Single Review

/ By Doug Phillips
Alice Milburn - ‘Not Yours’ Single Review

Alice Milburn continues to perfect her innovative blend of glossy jazz chords with empowering upbeat pop with the new and improved version of 2019’s ‘Not Yours’. 

Alice has only just begun to expand on a variety of Jeeni’s channels, including but not limited to: jazz, pop, indie and lounge. Fresh, new talent is what powers Jeeni and with artists such as Alice, Jeeni couldn’t wish for much better fuel for our mission of uplifting and supporting unrepresented artists. Check out Alice’s young and expanding showcase on Jeeni here.

On this redesign of ‘Not Yours’, Alice displays her flexible and adaptable comprehension of musicality clearer than ever. The willingness to broaden both the understanding of jazz and pop whilst also incorporating rock elements without resulting in a confusing mess of a composition is an absolute feat. Alice’s attitude to music is totally refreshing and it’s more often the attitude and approach to creation that separates the greats from the rest, not just superb musicianship. 

Immediately, this re-telling of Alice’s popular 2019 single holds more atmosphere and impact than its predecessor. The guitar cuts through so much cleaner thanks to less muddy settings on both the amp and after effects during the mixing process. And this fresher, more attentive approach isn’t limited to just the guitar parts; the bass guides the harmony much more seamlessly, the drums snap harder and as a result of these perfected parts, Alice’s soulful, impassioned vocals sit in this new arrangement so much nicer. Her voice is never drowned out, overshadowed or squashed, although the guitar solo certainly takes its fair portion of the limelight, and rightly so. 

Another key improvement can be found in the addition of the horn parts. Tasteful trumpets can be heard reinforcing the chords in the choruses and do so well to glimmer and shine up the composition’s instrumentation. The key difference between the 2019 version and the new 2022 version is the brightness and rejuvenation in the tone of the track and not much brightens up a mix as well as horns. A live performance where the horn parts get their own moment to solo and shine would surely be breathtaking. 

It could possibly be argued that a song about a romantic betrayal shouldn’t be so bright and that maybe the first, slightly darker version is more apt for heartbreak, however this song is more empowering than it is hopeless. The title itself, ‘Not Yours’ is a triumphant announcement that Alice can’t be owned or manipulated, especially not anymore. 

It’s not always easy to perhaps acknowledge that a previously released track could be realised and finished in a more polished way, however Alice is the type of artist to take that brave step in improving her sound and raising the standard of her craft up another notch. Check out more of Alice Milburn’s fantastic work here

11
Feb

Weekly Round-Up #9

The latest developments and additions to Jeeni’s mission!  New Content Contributed to Jeeni’s Database of Talent!  New and exciting content is always being added to Jeeni’s library and the past two weeks have not been an exception.   Award-winning rock-star, Eden James has added two more tracks from his extensive rock discography to Jeeni’s database. ‘Don’t Give Up’ and a live performance of ‘Bad Girl’ are now available on Jeeni.  Three new artists to Jeeni have also been uploading new music this week. Hip-hop and electronic collective, Ace Bermuda have uploaded their debut single, ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’, as has brand-new Jeeni artist, Julience with his track, ‘Alcohol’. Alana Sukul has also put forward five new additions to Jeeni, including her newest track, ‘Good To You’ and her hit track, ‘Closer’.  Jeeni regulars have also been contributing exciting new music such as Zeeteah’s brilliant ‘Wat A Ting’, Nnaomi’s ‘Hate Me’ and Maple Sky’s ‘Vision’, all three of which have been reviewed and published onto Jeeni’s blog page: https://jeeni.com/blog/ .   Here are more details about the blogs we’ve published in the last two weeks.  Six new reviews for Jeeni artists’ newest projects have been published since our last Weekly Round-Up!   Jeeni published a full review of Nnaomi’s incredible new single, ‘Hate Me’, “Nnaomi evokes even more emotion and sentiment with her swirling, impactful and atmospheric new single, ‘Hate Me’”. Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/nnaomi-hate-me-single-review-blog-jeeni/   Listen to ‘Hate Me’ here: https://jeeni.com/nnaomi-hate-me/   Also, this week, Jeeni ambassador, Zeeteah Massiah released the playful yet important, ‘Wat A Ting’, “Zeeteah’s newest single is a brilliant, tongue-in-cheek poke at misinformation and its relentless spreading, all the while being a dancehall banger in its own right.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/zeeteah-massiah-wat-a-ting-single-review/   ‘Wat A Ting’ is available on Jeeni here: https://jeeni.com/wat-a-ting-zeeteah-massiah/?channel=zeeteah-  Released last Saturday, “Maple Sky broaden their sound once more with this explosive, brand-new funk banger, named ‘Vision’”. Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/maple-sky-vision-single-review/   Check out the jazz quartet’s newest single here: https://jeeni.com/vision-maple-sky/?channel=maple-sky&rtn=btasc&artist=maple-sky   Multi-instrumentalist and folk singer, Daisy Chute blessed the Jeeni library of talent with her newest EP, ‘Cradle Songs’. “Daisy Chute’s newest EP consists of three sonic fairytales, crafted with swelling strings, twinkling percussion and her bewitching vocals.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/daisy-chute-cradle-songs-ep-review/  Listen to Daisy’s new EP here: https://jeeni.com/cradle-song-daisy-chute/?channel=daisy-chute&rtn=btasc&artist=daisy-chute-2   Another review published to Jeeni this week was for Nigerian/British rapper, I K 8OY’s debut single, ‘Let You Know’, “Stirring together afroswing with tuneful rapping, the first official release from I K 8OY is a shimmering and glossy UK hip-hop achievement.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/i-k-8oy-let-you-know-single-review/   Listen to I K 8OY’s debut single here: https://jeeni.com/let-you-know-i-k-8oy/   And finally, a review of yet another debut was published this Monday for Ace Bermuda’s ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’. “If the elusive, grand and electrifying Ace Bermuda were a TV show, ‘WTF Is Ace Bermuda’ would be their theme song. The collective’s first official release perfectly encapsulates the group’s innovative intentions and collaborative nature.” Read the full review here: https://jeeni.com/blog/ace-bermuda-wtf-is-ace-bermuda-feat-jada-freeman-profiiit-single-review/   Check out the collective’s debut here: https://jeeni.com/wtf-is-ace-bermuda/?channel=ixohnlybtrod&rtn=btasc&artist=ace-bermuda   Calling All Graduates Looking for Work, Jeeni Officially Partners with Gradfuel to Create 654 New Jobs! Among the 654 new roles available across England include; 116 sales positions, with a focus in London, Manchester and remote situations, 143 roles in Marketing, also for people based in London, Manchester or remote, 118 hospitality roles particularly in London and Birmingham, 121 admin positions focused on remote and London. There are also 31 roles for those specialised in graphic design such as Photoshop and Adobe for remote and London-based applicants. IT and data have 81 roles for London-based and remote situations and finally, there are 25 roles in finance, also for London and remotely working applicants.  Check out our full blog on Jeeni’s partnership with Gradfuel: https://jeeni.com/blog/calling-all-graduates-looking-for-work-jeeni-officially-partners-with-gradfuel-to-create-654-new-jobs/   Reach out to the Jeeni marketing team at doug@jeeni.com or ella@jeeni.com.   Make sure you’re following us on social media to keep up to date with new releases from our artists, our blogs and any job openings.   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jeenimusic/    Twitter: https://twitter.com/jeenimusic    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeenimusic    Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/33222018/admin/ 

10
Mar

Artist Pairing Success with Ariana May and Daisy Chute

Pioneers of Jeeni’s new artist pairing initiative, Daisy Chute and Ariana May sit down with Jeeni’s Ella Venvell to trade advice, take notes and reflect on the ups and downs of an independent music career.   The aim of Jeeni’s artist pairing initiative is to create a supportive connection between like-minded musicians as a platform for them to encourage and uplift each other during their ongoing journeys in music. Last week, singer-songwriters, Ariana and Daisy provided a perfect blueprint for the initiative.  Having already worked on six projects spanning from 2005, award-winning singer-songwriter Daisy Chute had reams of invaluable tips and experience. Despite occasionally claiming that she had ran out of decent advice, in actuality, Daisy’s insight was vast and clearly very helpful to theatrical pop prodigy, Ariana who seemed to hang on to every word.  Daisy recommended that Ariana should embrace promotion tools, merchandise, CDs, social media techniques and live streaming, all of which has proved to be effective devices for Daisy’s journey in music.  We listened together to Ariana’s enchanting ‘Suffolk Bay’, a moving, transportive new single featuring Ariana’s delicate, flickering vocal performance, reminiscent of The Cranberries’ late Dolores O’Riordan. A more prominent influence, as pointed out by Daisy is art pop royalty Kate Bush who, like Ariana, also began her career at just 16 years old.   Daisy currently opts for more traditional, folk acoustic instruments for her newest project, ‘Songs of Solace’, a heartfelt and sentimental EP which guides the listener ‘through the beginning, middle and end of a relationship’. The two artists overlap in their tendencies for poetic story-telling and embrace of traditional instrumentation, however a key difference in their styles is the tone, or mood that these artists convey. Daisy presents an acoustic warmth and comfort with sweeping folk strings and guitar plucking, whereas Ariana’s singles currently have an almost chilling tone of drama and theatre whilst also being a pleasant listening experience.  With our first venture into the initiative, Daisy Chute and Ariana May provided a model example of how it should pan out; constructive and invaluable support between artists. As Daisy put it, “It was lovely to meet Ariana and hear her music and story. I told her a bit about my music and journey in the industry and gave her any tips I’ve picked up along the way. I hope it will help her with her own musical journey and that she’ll find success now and in the future.”  We at Jeeni can’t wait to bring more artists together and form a stronger collaborative and supportive community with our platform.  Both of these Jeeniuses have brand new EPs, out now.  How can Jeeni support artists like Ariana and Daisy?  JEENI is a multi-channel platform for original entertainment on demand. We’re a direct service between creatives and the global audience.  • We give creatives, independent artists and performers a showcase for their talent and services. And they keep 100% of everything they make. • We empower our audience and reward them every step of the way. • We promise to treat our members ethically, fairly, honestly and with respect. • Access to artist liaison and a supportive marketing team Check out Daisy Chute's page on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/?s=daisy+chute Check out Ariana May's page on Jeeni: https://jeeni.com/?s=ariana+may 

19
May

Five Great Songs About Real Places, by Wendy King

  A songwriter finds many things to write about; emotions, events, people, and even places. Some of the finest songs of all time have been written with somewhere in mind, a place that touches the soul of the person with the pen.Mull of Kintyre, written by former Beatle Paul McCartney, is an example of this. It’s written about a part of Scotland the singer had a home and is a reference to feeling at home when he’s there. West Coast punk band Rancid, perhaps at the other end of the songwriting scale, had a song called Olympia WA on their album and Out Come The Wolves, written as much about New York as the Washington state capital.Those songs might not immediately trip off the tongue, but they are strong efforts in terms of writing about places. It isn’t always cities either – Gainsville resident Bacon James recently won a songwriting competition for a song about the Santa Fe river, called Lost and Found (At the Santa Fe). It drew emotions he experienced from the river with an actual place, in much the same way as McCartney did, and as many others have done about different places. Often, it isn't the place that is the full subject of the song, but how that place made the writer feel.This is a theme you’ll see running through some of the entries in our round-up of five great songs about places. Christie Road – Green Day (click to play) Green Day might be a global phenomenon now, a rock band that sells out arenas, but in 1994, pre-Dookie, they were just three angry, disaffected kids looking for an outlet. Back then, Bille-Jo Armstrong and bassist Mike Dirnt used to hang out at a place called Christie Road, doing what a band named after marijuana would be expected to do. Christie Road is an ode to their wasted days, their safe place before stardom came calling. Ewan MacColl - Dirty Old Town (click to play) The first song on our list made famous by another artist is Dirty Old Town by Ewan MacColl. It’s written about Salford in England, an industrial town that was once in the shadow of towers belching out smoke thanks to its place on the Manchester Ship Canal. MacColl wrote about his life there and finding love and an oasis of tranquillity, amongst the smoke and dirt. The song was later recorded by The Pogues, to critical acclaim. The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba (click to play) When you think of songs about Detroit and locations in Motor City, you most likely think of Kid Rock or Eminem, but the duo The White Stripes produced an iconic two-minute ode to a hotel along the I-75, the Hotel Yorba. It is now subsidized housing, but Jack wrote the song after hearing, incorrectly, that the Beatles once stayed there. Whilst there’s not a lot of emotion behind the location, it is a demonstration that a song doesn’t have to be written about a famous place at all. Billy Edd Wheeler - Jackson (click to play) Johnny Cash was a great storyteller, and whilst one of his most famous songs is a story about a place, he didn’t write it. Jackson, possibly written about Jackson, Tennessee, was actually penned by Billy Edd Wheeler and performed by the Kingston Trio. Cash made it his own, singing as a duo with June Carter. Jackson serves as a place of sin and iniquity, offering the married protagonist respite from what feels like a loveless marriage, the exact opposite of Johnny’s lifelong union with June. Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama (click to play) We’ve mentioned Kid Rock already in this article, and he’s going to get a mention again, but not for songwriting. He helped catapult Sweet Home Alabama, a rock classic, back up the charts in 2007 when he dropped All Summer Long, his tribute to growing up in Michigan, that borrowed the Lynyrd Skynyrd song’s structure. As for the original, it is rather more controversial than even the infamous Robert James Ritchie – it’s written as a retort to Neil Young’s anti-slavery song, Alabama, and seeks to defend the state’s people from being tarnished by the darkness of its history. Now that is a little more contentious than signing about a hotel! Have you written a great song about a place that's significant to you? Then upload it on Jeeni for everyone to enjoy. Who knows, you might just have a solid-gold hit on your hands! Several of Jeeni's most popular artists have done exactly that, including the award-winning Richard Murray. (click to play) This item was written by Wendy King for jeeni.com