Post by jptheprofessor on Feb 4, 2008 17:10:17 GMT -5
DEJA VUDOO – SCRATCHING THE SURFACE (RockDiva & SugarDaddy Music) After several formative years as an acoustic-geared act, Harrisburg’s Deja Vudoo came together into a full rock band entity that reunited several musicians from a past project. The group’s first full-length CD, Scratching the Surface, offers a powerful introduction to their unique sound and musical vision. The prominent flavor is hard, female-fronted modern rock blended with slight gothic and techno flourishes, often incorporating dark themes and religious innuendo. The group’s centerpiece, charismatic singer Tina Marie, belts out a potent, rangeful voice as she toes the fine line between sanity and insanity, and explores the dark crevices of her heart and soul. Tina is often backed by a wall of metallic sound, defined by battering ram beats and tribal-geared rhythms from drummer Tony Pichler, weighty and taut bass lines from Michael Alan, and rigid riffage from guitarist Michael Nott; fleshed out and colored by Anthony Reigle’s additional guitar and keyboard fills. Out of a twisted church choir-like intro, the thunderous “Your God” sets the album’s dark and disquieting tone; with Tina brazenly challenging the validity of a higher power. She questions her own reality on “Real to Me,” and teeters between salvation and damnation on the volatile “Making Angels Cry.” Other tracks find Tina pondering issues about her mind and soul, such as the edgy “Dreamin,’” the sullen “Numb” (featuring guest cellist Ajay Cheney) and “Scapegoat;” while spirits, souls and wills struggle for control in the lyrics of songs like “Whisper,” the acidic and industrial “Revenge,” the concussive title track “Scratching the Surface” and “Piece by Piece,” and “Immortal.” The album is mostly cohesive and flows along consistently, with the sole exception of the keyboard-underscored rocker “Addicted,” which sounds more upbeat and out of place in the context of the rest of the album. Produced, recorded, mixed and engineered by Jason Rubal and recorded at Seventh Wave Studio in Harrisburg, the album is cleverly crafted and arranged; utilizing vocal layering and harmonies, and timely digital effects and samples to enhance the songs’ tension, release and turbulent mood swings. While the mix is often busy, it’s balanced and clear, with everything distinct and audible. Deja Vudoo’s Scratching the Surface is a bold, dynamic and focused debut that provides a compelling, action-packed listen. (The CD can be obtained through the group’s website, www.dejavudoomusic.com.)