By Isaiah Smith/entertainment editor
Country-rocker Gina Villalobos hops the pond with her new album Miles Away to show America her raw, emotional style.
“ I always want people that listen to my records to feel something,” Villalobos said in a press release.
“ Whether that feeling is happy or sad or points between … the ultimate feeling is if a song can make one happy and sad at the same time.”
Villalobos made her breakthrough into the industry with the long-delayed 2005 release of Rock N Roll Pony in the UK and Europe. The album had been delayed because of an accident that took the vision in Villalobos’ right eye. Instead of letting that stop her, she finished her album and went on to garner fame in Europe.
Now Villalobos has shown she is ready to take on America.
“ Don’t Let Go,” a mid-range track with a catchy hook, is the best chance for a single off of Miles Away. With gritty, smoky vocals, Villalobos drips emotion on every note. This is a very radio-friendly track that would probably do a crossover thing from country to pop stations.
Villalobos is a rare type artist who owns all of her music’s master copies, giving her complete control over the business aspect of her craft. She is an entrepreneur who just happens to write songs that rock.
However, a lot of her music sounds the same. Her vocals change, but the music is nearly identical on most of the tracks. Villalobos is obviously a Sheryl Crow fan and it shows in her music.
The whole country-rocker vibe is interesting; still, I think she could have done better.
“ Hard Enough” must have been harder than she thought. It starts out sounding great, but she loses the track somewhere in the middle.
It is not all bad.
“ Somebody Save Me,” a slow, mournful, closing track, shows how her vocals are good sometimes. She just needs to be more varied in her musical sampling. This track draws deep from the well of Villalobos’ emotions, and the crack in her voice is highlighted on the chorus.
“ Tied To My Side” has an acoustic kind of feel. I really like the fiddles on this track, but it is still boring.
Fans of Villalobos in Europe love the fact that she transitions from breathy, hushed, whispered vocals to a deep throaty growling voice on the chorus.
I am not nearly as impressed as her fan-base seems to be, but I guess beautiful music is in the ear of the beholder.
“ There is a moment in time when you really nail it, when you finally figure out what you’re trying to say and you’re actually saying it,” she said in the release. “That moment is so satisfying. That moment is all mine and nobody owns it but myself.”
Overall, this CD is miles away from where American audiences will even give it a second glance. I give Miles Away two stars. Villalobos’ voice has potential, but this album is not going to be her crossover hit.
