To LA, Ben Mauro’s latest begins with a compelling singer-songwriter style that links together more soulful and funkier efforts; the raw charisma and passion of Ben Mauro during his latest, To LA is infection. The EP opens up with Take Your Time, a track that is smooth and sugar with a knotty, dense instrumentation that will open up for listeners after multiple spins.
Burn It To The Ground is a pensive and instrumentally heavy track that builds upon the framework of acts like Sublime and Incubus. The bit of laid-back reggae and ska that is infused into this track does tons to properly highlight Mauro’s vocals. Challenging time signatures tattoo this track deep into the mind and psyche of listeners, giving them enough of a push to move into This Crazy Love. This Crazy Love has a bluesy track that is married to vocals laid down by Mauro that tell a story as well as contribute further to the overall harmony of the cut. Tangled Up has each constituent instrument on the top of their game; a thick and chunky bass line push a sizzling guitar line to an entirely new plateau. The music clears out to allow Mauro ample opportunity to impress with his vocals, which take on a bit of the Bee Gees and Elvis Costello. Happily Ever is the concluding track on To LA, and the slower tempo of the track act as a perfect conclusion to this release; this final song could easily make it onto radio rotation.
Each of the tracks on the To LA EP provide listeners with additional information about this performer; by the time that the final notes of Happily Ever play, fans will feel close to this performer.
Top Tracks: Burn It To The Ground, This Crazy Love
Rating: 8.7/10
Ben Mauro To LA Review / 2015 Self / 7 Tracks / www.benmauro.com/ / www.facebook.com/BenMauroMusic /
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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