“Waiting To Be Found” is a great title for Kristine Seelye’s new CD because the Petoskey singer-pianist is just getting back to making a serious go at her music. Kristine began singing with church groups, school choirs and in musicals at the age of 12. Countless performances honed her skills both as singer and pianist, resulting in a scholarship to Interlochen’s summer camp and later, live performances in Mexico, the Ukraine and Israel. Concurrently, she launched a career teaching high school German. But music’s siren song kept calling her back to her first love. “Dreams can lie buried in the sands of time for years, only to surface in quiet moments when we least expect them,” she writes in her liner notes. Those dreams led to the resumption of her musical career; hence, this six-song EP. Seelye’s songwriting aspires to an uplifting direction, but one that arises from stirring deep waters. Her songwriting tools include the intangibles of passion, the power of love, and inspiration. Her title song, “Waiting To Be Found,” offers insights on the new paths arising from heartache. Her songwriting has been compared to that of Jimmy Webb and Carly Simon, but given the subject matter on this CD, which is largely about love, longing and the fulfillment of dreams, we also hear the same themes echoed by Sarah Brightman or Sarah McLachlan. Seelye accompanies herself on piano on this album and gets an assist on keyboards from Al Jankowski, with John Beland on guitars, Ivan Greilick on bass and Roger Tarczon on drums. Of note, Seelye is a charismatic, knock-out of a performer; she had an audience of 50 songwriters spellbound at J.D. Lamb’s Songwriters Retreat in Harbor Springs this winter, pouring passion into the keys of her piano. Kristine Seelye is definitely someone to put on your “must see” list this coming year as she gets her musical career back on track. For more info, check out www.kristineseelye.com.
Twitchy • New Myths
Blending pop sounds with intelligent, meaningful lyrics is the hurdle Twitchy strives for on the new trio’s first album, soaring over the bar with tight harmonies and precision playing. Twitchy includes Jay Kott on vocals and keyboards, Aaron Wolinski on bass and lyrics, and Matt Hayes on drums. All are veterans of Northern Michigan’s music scene and noted for pushing the envelope on jazz, pop and rock sounds. The album was engineered and mixed by Kott, who brings prodigious skills in electronic music, its sequencing and manipulation to the project. As a band, Twitchy has been missing in action when it comes to stage appearances; to date, the players have focused their energy on writing and recording. Wolinski, who also performs in the band, Zillion, says Twitchy hopes to remedy that situation with some upcoming live appearances that will showcase the CD. A variety of styles surface on “New Myths,” including flavors of reggae, house, hip-hop and worldbeat. Providing a cohesive thread through it all is a tasty dance-pop beat that keeps the music on an uprising path. This is especially important given the fact that Wolinski has poured his soul into crafting thoughtful lyrics, a difficult task for any songwriter; there’s always the danger of “serious” material collapsing under its own weight in a fallen soufflè of pretension. But that’s not the case here -- the melodies buoy Wolinski’s lyrics and drive them home. As a result, Twitchy reaches the same high ground occupied by the likes of Seal or Wyclef Jean in terms of crafting pop music that feeds the mind. For this reviewer, the best stuff on “New Myths” comes halfway through the 10-song CD. Early on, some of the hip-hop stuff sounds a bit of a stretch, like it’s more on the band’s wanna-be list than hard-wired into their DNA. But once Twitchy gets cooking on more comfortable material, it’s all top choice: “The Next Step” about transcending “earthly concerns” on an evolutionary path offers radio-friendly soft rock. The spooky jam, “Eaten by the Gods,” offers intriguing hooks, and the hip-hop break on “Plastic Eyes” scores a bullet. Another favorite is the album closer, “All,” which offers an inspired bass line and a pulsing melody that wraps the CD up with a crescendo. This is an album the players in Twitchy can be proud of.
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