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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Soon To Be Discovered Treasure..., January 27, 2009
Wow...I can't believe I am the first to be reviewing Ariel Abshire's "Exclamation Love", a still-being-discovered 2008 masterpiece! If you haven't given this a listen, you need to!
Ariel Abshire hails from Austin...(what is it about Austin and Texas in general for all of these FANTASTIC under-exposed and under-appreciated female singer-songwriters?) Incredibly she is just 17 years old. This is her first release. What a freshman effort...her voice is both angelic and powerful. Her songs (which she writes, and has been since middle school) are composed as if she has experienced a lifetime of love, loss, and lessons. Despite the maturity in her writing, there is still a pleasing air of adolescent fun in innocence in the background. Not too much, just enough!
What I immediately noticed and really like about this release is the subtlety of the backing music. Nothing overpowers or drowns out Ariel's voice. This is refreshing!
How would you classify it? I hate trying to assign it a genre, because it stands on it's own. It's unique. Pop-country? Southern Pop? Pop-Rock with a Texas twist? I don't really know. It's just darn good.
Critics love her. Her growing fan base loves her. She is down-to-earth and accessible. There is a lot of talent in a petite, beautiful package.
Please visit Ariels mySpace at www.myspace.com/arielabshiremusicforreal to hear full versions of many of these songs. you won't be disappointed!
There seriously is not a "dog" on this record. The best songs are "Exclamation Love" (could easily be a pop-crossover Top-10 hit), "Nervous" (a beautiful ballad), "Unknown Encounter" (a real showcase of Ariel's vocals), and "Thin Skin". "Spots" and "I Didn't Know People Could Do That" are pleasant and upbeat. "Goddamn New Mexico" is a favorite of the critics. I guess I am not helping you too much! You really need to check them all out. Buy the CD, or download it.
Ariel is the real deal. No hype here. No over-production. Just a lot of fresh, genuine, all-American talent.
[...]
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5.0 out of 5 stars
The Girl Can't Help It!, May 5, 2009
This will be brief as it's tired and I'm getting late: J. Payne is correct - this album is tremendous. I haven't seen the reviews to which J. Payne refers. I stumbled across the record in my local independent cd/record store, (yep, really!), and the brief review they had on the cover bag intrigued me enough that I bought it, notwithstanding some 'unusual' and seemingly contradictory comparisons; if anyone else mentions Janis Ian ... cross to the other side of the street.
Ms. Abshire has a great voice AND she is a cool, hot singer. Her lyrics are well crafted: forget that she is 17. Most of the lyrics work for any age, (I am - as the Italians say - "50" and I have quoted them - the lyrics and the Italians), and any songs with a younger aspect are just fine ... because they too have good lyrics. Of course, you can be impressed that she is 17 and hope for a lot more music to come.
The musicians play simply but supportively and entirely appropriately. Nifty flourishes and enough sound from a few people to flesh out and highlight events without getting in the way.
And the tunes. The tunes work well with the melodies but, most important, they are great tunes. Stick to your ribs, echo in the halls of your memory tunes. Especially with the upbeat numbers, they are sing-along songs.
When I first played the cd, I repeated the first song 8 or 9 times and then stopped the cd. It was perfect and I didn't want to risk diluting the joy-fun it had brought me. A few days later, I returned to it for another five listens and the magic remained. I now have expanded my listening to the whole album and there are many treasures.
I love this album. It is a timeless slice of rock 'n roll and could have been recorded at any time in the past fifty years: rocking around with Brenda Lee, three-is-not-a-crowd with Jackie de and Sharon S., younger cousin to Moby Grape 69, bff with Carlene Carter, duetting with Maria Mckee, opening for Lucinda Williams, drinking with Amy Rigby,dropping by Kelly Willis's house to visit. That is, she is part of a continuum of great female rockers.
Buy this. It was a tonic for my tired ears. I am back in the game - enjoying records and bopping around the house. Thanks Ariel!
(And if you want to see how her older sister is coping these days, check Shannon McCardle's "Summer of the Whore.)
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![Oracular Spectacular [Explicit]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51w3oh0SMPL._SL500_SS90_.jpg)
