Marian Hill – Act One (2016) [HDTracks FLAC 24bit/44,1kHz]

ACT ONE, the debut full-length from songwriting duo Marian Hill, was written and produced in its entirety by Jeremy Lloyd (music/lyrics/production) and Samantha Gongol (music/lyrics/vocals). The multi-talented duo, who have been collaborating in one form or another since high school, have shifted the classic paradigm of a woman on a stage and a man with a piano to a woman on a mic and a man with a laptop — and the results are seductive and vivid. Tempting paradox with a blend of blues and bass, acoustic and digital, classic and modern, Marian Hill have arrived.

Marian Hill’s one of a kind sound is present throughout — blues harmonies blend with sparse hip hop drums, horns blast under classic vocal melodies, and soloistic vocal chops sit side by side with clear, intimate lyrics. You’ve never heard this before, yet it’s surprisingly familiar. And it’s only the beginning.

The debut full-length album from Marian Hill, 2016’s Act One, deftly showcases the Philadelphia duo’s somewhat arty, stripped-down R&B. Featuring the talents of producer Jeremy Lloyd and vocalist Samantha Gongol, Marian Hill also benefits from the contributions of jazz saxophonist Steve Davit, who appears throughout. Centered on Gongol’s lithe, if slight vocals, the duo make a minimalist brand of pop R&B built around robotic beats, chilly synth hits, and Davit’s cubist post-bop sax lines that often sound as if they’ve been sampled and spliced into the mix. At best, one gets the sense that Marian Hill are aiming for an aesthetic somewhere along the lines of Beyoncé making an album with ’80s electronic outfit Art of Noise. Occasionally they come close, and cuts like “Talk to Me” and “Take Your Time” have a fresh, kinetic energy that captures the band’s art-school inclinations and catchy hooks. Elsewhere, tracks like “Down” and “Bout You” have a sultry warmth that sounds like a ’90s Brandy track remixed down to its barest essential elements. Admittedly, as conceptually interesting as Marian Hill can be, their particular brand of electronic soul can sometimes feel awkward and square. The main crux is that Gongol, while technically a fine singer, lacks the believable swagger, warmth, and organic, swinging phrasing of singers like Beyoncé or even Sade, whose moody, emotionally bare style is an obvious touchstone for the band. For some listeners, Marian Hill’s cool, at-arms-length earnestness will come off as wry, art-school juxtaposition. For others, it may just sound like bland reappropriation.

Tracklist:
01 – Down
02 – Talk To Me
03 – Wild
04 – Bout You
05 – Take Your Time
06 – I Know Why
07 – Good
08 – Thinking
09 – Sad Song
10 – Mistaken
11 – Same Thing
12 – I Want You

Download:

mqs.link_MarianHillACTNE2016HDTracks24441.rar

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