Posted on: November 3, 2010 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

The funky style of Murdxa during “Lamb” is not going to win eir any fans. The style has been done a number of times, and while “Lamb” is a pop song, it does not break enough ground to make it into the hearts and minds of individuals. This happens a lot with aspiring pop stars; the individuals make pop songs but they do not imbue them with enough soul to really bring them into the next level. Even more so, the instrumentation during the track is not virtuosic enough to bring individuals into the band; throw in a little guitar work along the style of Santana and the chances that Murdza makes it big are much larger.

The song is good, don’t get me wrong, but seems rough in the face of artists like Kelly Clarkson. The slower tempo of “Here” would make the track into a good slow-dance track, but again it seems as if Murdza’s output is missing something vital. The vocals are soulful, but they do not really play individuals’ hearts like strings. The slightly more R&B sound of “Flicker” breaks new ground for Murdza, but there seems to be a little inertia present in the track from the previous tracks that drags down this track from the heights it could have commanded. If the production of the backing beat for “Flicker” was a little more active or distinctive, even jarring, the results would have been a song to remember. The rest of the disc is much of the same thing, with “Gale Storm” slowly meandering around one general style.

Jen Murdza undoubtedly has talent and ability in eir vocals but the backing beat and arrangements seem to hold eir back through the entirety of “Things Untold”. The disc ends with “This Is Real”, a track that bodes well in showing that the instrumentation can actually caress and support Murdza’s vocals. While the instrumentation is unsteady at best, it shows that there is room for improvement in Murdza’s music. Here’s to hoping that a few new individuals are brought in to allow a distinction between Murdza’s vocals and the backing beat to each of these songs. Given the right batch of individuals, there is little doubt in my mind that Murdza could make it big in the pop scene. This EP is pop music that can be passed over, but don’t pass over Murdza for all time (there is some talent in that body that will present itself soon).

Top Track: This Is Real

Rating: 4.8/10

Jen Murdza – Things Untold / 2006 Butterfly Girl / 5 Tracks / http://www.jenmurdza.com / Reviewed 21 May 2006

[JMcQ]

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