"Immediately
noticeable is Solomon's crisp, generous voice and a jangly, agreeable pop style
that informs most of the tracks, with some pleasing atmospheric touches sprinkled
about like fairy dust.""Immediately
noticeable is Solomon's crisp, generous voice and a jangly, agreeable pop style
that informs most of the tracks, with some pleasing atmospheric touches sprinkled
about like fairy dust."
Eric Layton, Entertainment Today (full text of review below)
"'Revolving Walls' is a summer's day if ever it could be put into song."
Ben Ohmart, Muse's muse, (full text of review is here)
"This album is absolutely irresistable, with expertly crafted lyrics, melodious lead vocals, tight and crisp percussion, and bouncy acoustic guitars, all cushioned by a subtle layer of unqiue ambient/atmospherics."
Reviewed for Gajoob Magazine by Craig Conley of Captive Audience
"from the first song to the last, this cd is packed with beautiful music."
"The Painted iD is mixture of edgy poprock with songs that are catchy and complex enough to not ony grab the listeners attention, but keeps them pressing the repeat button on the CD player. Tori’s vocals are refresheningly light, but still have plenty of substance behind them. Definetly a CD that I would play for my friends and family. I like this one a lot!"
Aaron Childs "The Audio Realm" WCSR AM & FM Hillsdale, Michigan
"All the cuts, from the
quietly acoustic guitar and piano blended with Tori's hushed tones in the beautiful
"Bittersweet Childhood" to the jangly guitar in the light rock of "No Reaching
Me'' are great. But the standout is "Signature," which is, simply, perfect.
Somewhere, there's a movie waiting for this song to sell a gazillion soundtracks."
Linda Cook for Local Music Store
Online
"An excellent CD from a group that should get even better over time staying with this formula. Rating: ***1/2"
"An unexpectedly excellent
album..."
Terry Allen, hEARd Magazine
"This female fronted pop-folk band draws few comparisons with all those similar type acts all over mainstream radio today being that this band seems to be much deeper, much more experimental with their musical formulas, and, overall, much better."
Manic*Depressant (full text of review below)
"In Peter DeBaets and Ricardo Belled, there's a very solid, tuned-in, melodic section. Equally proficient is drummer Barry Schapiro, who is in the mix just enough to demonstrate his ability to catch the right up-and-downbeats without distracting the listener. Vocalist Tori Solomon has a rich voice, a good sense of the hooks in the music..."
Siobhan O'Neill for AMZ (Access to the Music Zone)
"...acoustic music with strong
vocals from Solomon."
Bill Locey Los Angeles Times, Ventura County
From Entertainment Today, Jan 15th.
The Painted iD
The Painted iD
Fox Street
By Eric Layton
"The Painted iD deals with issues most thirtysomethings can relate to. This acoustic-leaning Santa Monica-based quartet treads themes of love, commitment, change, introspection and adversity on their self-titled indie debut; what results isn't heavy-handed coffeehouse drivel but a refreshing, solid effort. They may not be reinventing the folk-rock wheel but they definitely know their way around the spokes.
This foursome - singer Tori Solomon, guitarist Peter De Baets, drummer Barry Schapira, bassist Ricardo Belled - set the tone straightaway with the shimmering acoustic strains of "Rici". Immediately noticeable is Solomon's crisp, generous voice and a jangly, agreeable pop style that informs most of the tracks, with some pleasing atmospheric touches sprinkled about like fairy dust. While shadows of 10,000 Maniacs exist (this is music you can feed your baby to) and the songs seem Lilith-ready, the Painted iD remains an enchanting troupe with a few surprises up its sleeve.
Introspection and cleverness go into "Complicated Goddess", a plugged-in yet softly rendered gem that contains one of this disk's true surprises - an organ line fit for a baseball game. The forceful, emotionally resonant "No Reaching Me" is one of the choice cuts, while the passionate "Stone by Stone" is equally impressive. Harmonies prove to be one of the Painted iD's strong suits, as evidenced on the syrupy-yet-captivating "Ties that Bind". In the spirit of mixing up this batch of songs, "Signature" gallops to a quicker pace than most of its counterparts and is buffed to a gleaming pop shine.
The key components to this act's style are Solomon's reliable pipes and De Baets' six-string efforts; the latter is particularly effective on "Soulmate", where the guitarist flirts with classical styles. The lyricism on this cut is revealing as well - with damaged-girl longing, Solomon implores, "Do more than kiss me". It's not as saucy as it sounds - this is a woman searching for a love less ordinary.
With the right promotion and breaks, The Painted iD could be ready for prime time. It's tough to say whether or not big-time success figures into the band's game plan, but one thing's for certain: They're clearly enjoying themselves. And that feeling carries over to the listener.
The Painted iD will hold a record release party Jan. 22 at The Mint. You can visit their website at www.thepaintedid.com."
From Manic*Depressant issue #7
The Painted iD
"The Painted iD"
"Laid on a colorful artistic backdrop is this groups mellow modern folk offering. This female fronted pop-folk band draws few comparisons with all those similar type acts all over mainstream radio today being that this band seems to be much deeper, much more experimental with their musical formulas, and, overall, much better. The overall atmosphere of the music falls just short of having the space-y undertones, and instead bases the sound around the mellow guitar and smooth harmonious vocals. This CD portrays a diverse mix of emotional content as well as musical. For those into really mellow music, or the underground of the woman-rock that radio is shoving down our throats. (Fox Street Records, 3875 Telegraph Rd, Suite A181, Ventura Ca 93003)"
