Daniel Hall – Light & Dark / The Best Of (USB Album – Daniel Hall)
Genre/Influences: Synth-pop, dance-pop.
Background/Info: Hailing from Sydney (Australia) Daniel Hall is an artist who has already released several albums. This ‘best of’ album is a real special work with a great, artistic design. The USB key looks like an electric bulb, which starts to shine when you put it in an USB connection of a PC. There are 18 songs featured on this album.
Content: I wasn’t that familiar with the work of this artist so this ‘best of’ is an interesting opportunity to discover the sound of Daniel Hall. The least I can say is that the music is very pop-like. It sounds sweet and rather evasive. Some songs are driven by a funky touch while others are moving into a kind of dance and lounge style. I also noticed a few groovy cuts and still a kind of electronic ballads.
The songs are carried by electronics, but you will also notice a few guitar parts. The vocals are pretty clear. Daniel Hall reveals to be a talented singer with a very particular and somewhat nasal timbre of voice.
+ + + : Before I heard a single note of this album I got totally wild for the packaging. This is a great artistic design featuring a sober, but great little box with the USB inside.
Sound-wise I discovered a diversified pop release revealing many influences. It’s a quite accessible production featuring excellent danceable pieces with some groovy sequences and other lounge atmospheres. The vocals are quite typical as well and definitely one of the main strengths of the band. The songs are masterly produced. You rapidly hear that this is an artist who didn’t spare any effort to get a high tech sound production.
– – – : Some cuts are a bit too smooth and too sweet and definitely more suited to please dance- and/or lounge lovers.
Conclusion: “Light & Dark” is a real clean and polished pop production. It sounds refreshing and pretty trendy, but not timeless!
Best songs: “The Edge”, “Butterfly”, “Make Believe”, “Breathless”.
Rate: (7½).
Band: www.facebook.com/designhallptyltd
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
