Marvin Priest - Beats and Blips (15/02/2012)
Australian-based artist Martin Priest’s debut album Beats and Blips has made a big splash on the Australian music scene. This album’s three chart hits highlight the versatility and unique sound of the relatively new artist.
As a debut album, Beats and Blips saw Priest working with some of the biggest names in the music industry. With an album credits ranging from mixer Serban Ghena through to Melbourne local Styalz Fuego, Priest certainly has the backing of some of the best men out there.
The first single released, Own This Club, which peaked at 6th on the ARIA charts, strongly features Priest’s natural vocal talent over a fast-paced and dance-worthy beat. The success of this track seems to stem from Priest’s unique take on the generic dance beat as well as his outstanding voice.
Take Me Away featuring Wynter Gordon, the second single from this album, presents a disappointing change from the first single. Priest’s natural voice has been replaced with the strongly electronic tone of the auto-tuner, and his original take on dance beats replaced with the generic sound more consistent of popular American artists. The third single, Feel This Love featuring Fatman Scoop, follows in the steps of Take Me Away, both in sound and disappointing performance on the charts. It seems that while Australian listeners enjoy the styles of hip-hop and dance music coming out of America, we prefer to hear more original sounds from our own artists.
Apart from the three singles, Beats and Blips samples the varied influences that Priest has been exposed to over his 4 years of touring. With the tracks Real Love and To Your Heart, Priest sings through a more laid back, lyrical hip-hop style giving the listener a moment to catch their breath between the dance tracks. Priest does, however, continue his catchy club beats throughout the album with the track She Got Me along with the three singles, that leave the listener with no choice but to get up and dance.
As a highlight of the album, the reggae-flavoured tracks Work It and Waiting, which feature Priest’s father, Reggae singer Maxi Priest. The tracks do Priest’s Jamaican heritage proud and further highlight his ability to create a dance sound while maintaining his personal taste in music. This smorgasbord of different flavours from the first to the last track, leave you in no mind of the talent and creativity of Priest. And while each song holds their own amongst popular chart songs, the album as a whole presents a distinctive and confident voice of Priest’s personal music.
Overall, this album seamlessly incorporates a range of dance beats and club hits that will leave you on your feet and begging for more.
Bethany Williams
As a debut album, Beats and Blips saw Priest working with some of the biggest names in the music industry. With an album credits ranging from mixer Serban Ghena through to Melbourne local Styalz Fuego, Priest certainly has the backing of some of the best men out there.
The first single released, Own This Club, which peaked at 6th on the ARIA charts, strongly features Priest’s natural vocal talent over a fast-paced and dance-worthy beat. The success of this track seems to stem from Priest’s unique take on the generic dance beat as well as his outstanding voice.
Take Me Away featuring Wynter Gordon, the second single from this album, presents a disappointing change from the first single. Priest’s natural voice has been replaced with the strongly electronic tone of the auto-tuner, and his original take on dance beats replaced with the generic sound more consistent of popular American artists. The third single, Feel This Love featuring Fatman Scoop, follows in the steps of Take Me Away, both in sound and disappointing performance on the charts. It seems that while Australian listeners enjoy the styles of hip-hop and dance music coming out of America, we prefer to hear more original sounds from our own artists.
Apart from the three singles, Beats and Blips samples the varied influences that Priest has been exposed to over his 4 years of touring. With the tracks Real Love and To Your Heart, Priest sings through a more laid back, lyrical hip-hop style giving the listener a moment to catch their breath between the dance tracks. Priest does, however, continue his catchy club beats throughout the album with the track She Got Me along with the three singles, that leave the listener with no choice but to get up and dance.
As a highlight of the album, the reggae-flavoured tracks Work It and Waiting, which feature Priest’s father, Reggae singer Maxi Priest. The tracks do Priest’s Jamaican heritage proud and further highlight his ability to create a dance sound while maintaining his personal taste in music. This smorgasbord of different flavours from the first to the last track, leave you in no mind of the talent and creativity of Priest. And while each song holds their own amongst popular chart songs, the album as a whole presents a distinctive and confident voice of Priest’s personal music.
Overall, this album seamlessly incorporates a range of dance beats and club hits that will leave you on your feet and begging for more.
Bethany Williams