Thursday, February 3, 2011

Step Twelve - Ends Close Sight EP


Alright, this is on a personal note. Andre Chamberlain and his newest project is the topic of this blog entry. Recently, Andre and his wife Samantha were home visiting for Christmas and MY wife and I went to visit them at his parents house.

Andre and I used to be in a band together in high school and we have been friends ever since that endeavor even though he moved out west to work/live alongside his brothers and work for Nomis Design soon after high school. Andre has been busily churning out music as a part of Chamberlain Davey, alongside Harrison Davey and Jeremy Radawiec, and more recently as a solo act under the moniker Step Twelve.

While we were visiting with Andre and Sam, Andre handed me his new EP “Ends Close Sight.” As a side note, I should qualify that I always assumed that Andre would make mostly instrumental music as this guy kicks tail on the Bass and was always a huge fan of the likes of Stu Hamm, Joe Satriani, and Steve Vai, etc. As part of Chamberlain Davey, Andre explored other instruments and this can be heard on their self-titled EP with him playing guitar. For this EP however, he has more or less decided to make music on his bass exclusively. Andre has also been exploring the world of singing ever since Lonely Heights (our high school band), and has been doing all he can in terms of vocal training and playing live shows in and around Vancouver as a way of honing his voice. All of this experience, training, and practice has very evidently paid off when listening to his latest record. It would be almost impossible for Andre's Bass playing skills to be lacking in my opinion but I'm particularly impressed with the talent and progress shown in his vocal work.

Songs of note: the two best songs on this disc are “Ends Close Sight #2,” which is my #1 example of how much Andre's voice has progressed over the years and “Groove of Love” which is a great example of Andre's instrumental music writing skills. Also, ECS #2 features a girl named Anne Lacovone on background vocals who compliments this song further by introducing a great contract to Andre's voice.

Honourable mention goes to the song “For You” with I THINK is about his wife Samantha? I could be wrong but this track is a great, upbeat, tap-your-foot-along-to song. Another great example of Andre's evolved sense of melody....especially the chorus/bridge.

Overall, Ends Close Sight by Step Twelve is a great little EP to listen to during downtime or relaxing on your couch. As far as I know, this EP is now live, available for purchase on iTunes.

Great job Buddy!

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