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CD REVIEW: Petra Luna - Angels (Part 1) - The At War Collection By: Cyrus Rhodes
********** Artist: Petra Luna CD: The At War Collection “Part 1” Angels” Label: Independent Artist Website: http://www.myspace.com/petraluna Genre: R&B, Pop, Light Rock, Easy Listening, Gospel Sounds Like: : Carol King, Barbra Streisand, Cher, Gloria Estefan Technical Grade: 10/10
Production/Musicianship Grade:
9/10 Weakness: Dated Sounding Production, Short-sided CD, Marketability
CD REVIEW:
Petra Luna just released her latest CD entitled Part 1 ‘Angels” The “At War” Collection in 2010. For those who don’t know Petra Luna is a popular public figure who is a professional musician by trade but also encourages all victims of abuse to seek help, justice and recovery through her music and nonprofit organization called the P. Luna Foundation. For more information please visit – www.petraluna.com
The CD takes flight with “In Slavery” a passionate intro groove that serves up an inviting vocal groove against driving rock rhythm & well placed percussion & vocal harmonies from Petra & company. Track 2 “We Can Build Our Dreams” keeps thing moving in the smooth direction with its tranquil introduction, smooth melodic accents & impressive lyrical content. Track 3 “I Love You Jesus” presents an impressive cover track with passionate melody & heartfelt vocals from Luna. The production quality is impressive. & the musicianship of everyone involved is clearly above the bar. Along the way you will notice lush instrumentation with things like well-placed keyboard & piano accents, strings, percussive accents, acoustic guitar & solos, combined with lush harmonies layered everywhere. The rhythm section (Drums & percussion) push the natural accents well. Now turning our attention over to Luna - as for her vocal abilities she is quite impressive. Her vocal style is cut from the cloth of Barbara Streisand, Cher & even Gloria Estefan. It definitely works well within the confines of this catalogue which is reminiscent of pop music popular in the late 70’s & Early 80’s. Luna’s impressive vibrato & overall passion clearly demonstrate a very strong & confident vocal ability. This CD from Petra delivers 7 compelling tracks all providing an interesting snapshot & thought provoking wisdom with messages that are uplifting, positive & passionate. From passionate “Ganador Solo Por Un Dia” to uplifting “Christmas Will Come” this CD has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with “Dedication Skit” which merges into track 7 “Lucky Star” the perfect wrap for a catalogue like this.
It’s hard to find serious weakness with this production. I will however say all songs over 4 minutes tend to drag you to the finish line. The overall sound is a bit dated reminiscent of a sound very popular in the late 70’s & early 80’s. Unfortunately it’s 2011. I fully realize this is a subjective art form but some of the above mentioned issues do affect the CD’s over marketability. Also at 23 minutes & change the CD is a bit short. Perhaps 3-4 more songs are needed to really seal the deal for me. Perhaps this release is more like an EP as indicated in the title – Part1 of a series.
From start to finish “Part 1 Angels – The At War Collection” by Petra Luna is an impressive & compelling catalogue of music. The music is highly passionate, uplifting, & very honest & straightforward. The songwriting is an interesting snapshot of one lady who is clearly a staunch advocate of child abuse. All songs are consistent musical experiences, each one possessing a unique personality, flair, & signature groove. Note for note, song for song this catalogue is rock solid & extremely consistent. The writing & playing abilities of Luna’s band are rock solid, & her vocal abilities are world class. The lyrical content is packed to the hilt with conventional wisdom. Kudos for Luna for telling a story that needs to be told with amazing courage, passion & bold straightforwardness.
Cyrus Rhodes
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