Album, Single and EP Reviews


 

 

  Uncharted Territory by Michele Ari


Uncharted Territory cover art

Artist: Michele Ari
Title: Uncharted Territory
Catalogue Number: No catalogue number
Review Format: MP3
Release Year: 2012



So there I am thinking another review, another piece of retro ear candy. Michele Ari is hardly the first to pull the past into the present, of course, nor the first woman to abandon the fluffy bunny sentimentality usually expected of a woman supposedly speaking her mind but here the lost in the eighties presentation disguises a particularly well targeted realism.

Whilst, say, “Uncharted Territory” does seem like a bleaker version of Holly and The Italians, there is also, fortunately, a more widescreen take on damaged people of both sexes. “Wounded Man”, in particular, right clicks on the icon that says emotionally broken and not likely to be fixed anytime soon and Ms Ari writes, and sings, like she knows what she is talking about. In a similar vein, decaying relationships get directly addressed in “Little Wars” whilst being neatly counterpointed by the enforced jauntiness of the song itself. At the end of the day this kind of music is all about heart and Ms Ari duly demonstrates that in the rock ballad style of “Live Without This”. She’s a sensitive girl on the inside and all woman on the outside.
 
Writing From a male point of view, I probably didn’t get as much from these songs as a woman would but, nonetheless, I was impressed by Ms Ari’s approach. She manages to convey both honesty and a world weary but unbroken spirit and wraps it all up in the kind of rock song that women of emotional maturity will relate to. Love American style is not a peaceful place to be, it would seem.


www.micheleari.com
Reviewer:
Review Date: May 29 2012