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Written
by Scott Wigley, posted by blog admin
Young
performers like this restore a little faith in me. Natalie Estes is one of
those singers who embraced dreams of being a world class vocalist from her
earliest years. Dance, instead, fed her dreams as a first love through high
school. Hearing a performance from Adele of the song “To Make You Feel My Love”
exerted a transformative hold over her life and she soon began pursuing musical
aspirations with great earnestness. It is a testament to the hold that singing
and music can still exert over young imaginations that this single performance
emboldened her to pursue her dreams when, seemingly, so many others are content
to not do in the modern landscape. Her four song EP 20/20 Vision comes across
as the realization of a dream, crackles with musical imagination, and certainly
exhibits attitude and vulnerability throughout.
“Until
I Do” has a nice edge and serves as a great introduction to the artist. The
music is equally top notch – it’s practically orchestrated to build in a
compelling way and draws you further in with each passing minute. The lyrical
content isn’t anything you haven’t heard before thematically, but Estes
presents it in her own way and the picture she paints with those words
certainly pulls few if any punches. “When There’s Smoke There’s Fire” has a
robust spirit that hits you hard from the first and, frankly, you wish the song
could go on forever. It’s another memorable quality of this release that each
of the four tracks, despite their differences, are all tailored to appropriate
lengths and never test a listener’s patience with excessive bloat. 20/20 Vision
is an across the board focused effort with a steadiness of intent experienced
listeners will likely associate with much more veteran performers.
“Reminds
Me of You” is probably the EP’s weakest number, but it’s relative. Estes’ stab
at melodic pop rock has a relaxed feel that makes it appealing, but the ground
she trods over here is a little too overly familiar. Some will enjoy it simply
for what it is and not ask more – it’s an entertaining number, within its
limits, and will likely spark to life a little more via live performance. “Bad
Game”, however, matches the same standard of quality set by the EP’s first two
tracks and easily rivals “Where’s There’s Smoke There’s Fire” in its
rambunctiousness. The drumming is particularly strong and Estes sounds
invigorated throughout. It ends the EP on just the musical high note it
deserves and bodes well for her future recordings. This is the beginning of a
great career and it’s nice to see and hear it on the ground floor before its
inevitable rise.
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