Andrew Belle

Hailing from Chicago, Andrew Belle recently performed at the SXSW music festival, where he recieved a fairly good reception from the crowds there.

It's easy to see why, after a listen of his first EP, All Those Pretty Lights. It opens strongly with the track I'll Be Your Breeze, with a strong beat and a sound that sounds very similar to The Fray and Brett Dennan, but far better than the two of them.

All Those Pretty Lights is a good, abit short, listen, and it provides a good introduction to this 24 year old singer. It feels light and free, unconstrained by any need to be overly hip or trendy, although this is certainly a style that will likely be picked up and utilized as such somewhere down the road. The five songs are energetic and well written, with a good sound overall. This is a good starting point for an upcoming artist, and according to his website, he is currently working on his first full-length album.

While All Those Pretty Lights sounds good overall, there are a couple flaws with the EP - The first is that the opening track, I'll Be Your Breeze, is the only one to really stand out from the other four - it is by far the strongest of the album, and while this isn't a long listen (the EP tracks in at 20 or so minutes), Belle's overall sounds is fairly uniform throughout, the same drone that both The Fray and Dennen share, a sound that I'm not particularly fond of - I think it sounds a bit drawlish and lazy, but in this instance, Belle is the strongest of the three, and he really makes the sound for for him.

This isn't out of the ordinary for any artist really - an introductory EP is a first impression, and anyone who listens to enough music will know that first impressions are generally illusions, as artists will switch up their sound as they improve over their careers (or until they hit it big and essentially repeat their successes, but there's a long way to go here), and this is a very promising start for Andrew Belle. I am paticularly eager to hear what he has to say next, and I do hope that he'll give us an album that is just as interesting, although hopefully a little more diverse, in the coming months. - mog.com

Chicago son Andrew Belle has released his debut EP All Those Pretty Lights to much fanfare having become a staple on the Windy City’s music scene and following that up with an appearance at this year’s SXSW. Though brief (clocking in at around the 20-minute mark) the EP is a solid foundation and a good first run for the fledgling artist and features moments of unbridled talent, but with an “I’ve heard this before” feel.

Album standout and opening track “I’ll Be Your Breeze” is hallmark Belle—contemplative and emotive lyrics (delivered almost Chris Martin-ish) with a backing of pure pop sensibility. Musically tight and technically sound, the song is the “which one of these doesn’t belong with the rest” of the album, but in a good way. Title track “All Those Pretty Lights” is vocal- and piano-driven and again features Belle’s thinking man’s lyrics and his inherent ability to paint a picture with words. And though no offense is meant, this track seriously sounds left off of The Fray’s last album. Finally, “In Your Sleep” is a down tempo, deep anthem that features intermittent electric guitar and piano interplay, with backing chirps of strings and a rhythm section foundation that create a myriad of layered sounds. Slow and demure, it is a near opposite of “Breeze.”

A strong pop sense and no production work spared have rendered a respectable initial outing for the young songwriter. The unmistakable likeness of the sound to The Fray however, is rampant and the two seem virtually interchangeable. They say imitation is the most sincere form of flattery so whether deliberate, mere coincidence or just a simple similarity, The Fray should seriously be blushing right about now.

Review By: Chris West - scopemag.com

From Us To You: Two Songs From Andrew Belle

The Blogcritics redesign and relaunch celebration continues! Today we have an exclusive treat for our music lovers: two tracks from Andrew Belle's EP, All Those Pretty Lights.

Only 24, Belle has a long, bright future ahead of him. Though his is best known in his native Chicago where he's been tearing up the stage at such local haunts as Rockit Bar, you're probably more familiar with Andrew Belle than you thought. If you missed his show at SXSW, then certainly you heard the single included blow, "I'll be Your Breeze" on the popular CW program 90210. The other MP3 is the title song from the EP.

On his MySpace page, the artist speaks of pop influences, most notably Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, saying, "The first album that I ever bought for myself was the Counting Crow's August and Everything After when I was a sophomore in high school. It had already been out for several years at that point, but I can still remember sneaking it up to my room and listening to it very softly out of the dusty Sony boombox in my bedroom; pouring over every melody and marveling over the lyrical genius in Adam Duritz; thinking, 'maybe I can do this someday?'."

All Those Pretty Lights is five tracks of melodic and hook ridden pop music and is now available at iTunes and many other online outlets. Before you run out and make that purchase, however, take advantage of the preview below. - blogcritics.org