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Mariel


Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Mainstream acoustic pop

Status:

Most recent release, One Molecule of Love (2006)

See also:

CD Baby's page for Mariel

Comparisons:

'Stevie Nicks meets The Sundays', says her bio. I would tend to add Lori Carson as well. (marcel@kimwilde.com)

Covers/own material:

Mostly own, occasional covers

General comments:

A beautiful woman who sings beautiful songs. She does not expect any commercial success, but I think with the right set of people around her she just might get it. (marcel@kimwilde.com)

Mariel has a pretty voice and writes catchy songs. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)

Recommended first album:

The Darkest Angel or Fragments of a Dream

Recordings:


The Darkest Angel

Release info:

1999—Aerial Sounds, P.O. Box 4634 Cherry Hill, NY 08034, U.S.A., aerialsnd@aol.com—1003

Availability:

Unknown

Ecto priority:

Medium

Group members:

Mariel—vocal, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, programming

Guest artists:

Rob Federici—acoustic guitar
Vinnie Martello—guitars
Mike Vogelman—bass
Bobby Corea—drums

Produced by:

Mariel

Comments:

This album starts out powerfully with two songs which I took an instant liking to. "The Darkest Angel" is an acoustic gem, whereas "Inbetween days", a cover of the classic uptempo song by The Cure, has been turned into a moody and beautiful ballad. Then suddenly, she goes into 'demo' mode with "Surreal love". This is exactly where the listener realises that Mariel has a limited vocal range which in some songs is not produced well enough. Fortunately, "99 Lies" is a rocking songs becoming her a lot better and songs like "Strange one" and "I'll be your mirror" (a cover of a song written by Lou Reed) further showcase her ability to mould a song into something worth listening to. Unfortunately, this can't be said for all of the songs. Her constant use of a higher register tends to get boring after hearing a few songs in a row, and I think she would benefit from stronger arrangements and better producer. I keep thinking that there's a jewel somewhere in there waiting to be brought out. (marcel@kimwilde.com)

Fragments of a Dream

Release info:

2001—Aerial Sounds, P.O. Box 4634 Cherry Hill, NY 08034, U.S.A., aerialsnd@aol.com—1004

Availability:

See CD Baby

Ecto priority:

Medium

Group members:

Mariel—vocals, acoustic guitars, keyboards, programming

Guest artists:

Chris Mood—guitars
Patrick Van Belle—drums
Chris Eike—bass
Lino—classical guitar, bass, programming
Rbon Federici—lead guitar on 1 track

Produced by:

Mariel (one track Mariel and Lino)

Comments:

Mariel's new album is very nice, but not essential. Her songs deal with lost love in a fairly intriguing way. Some tracks are very good, like "Cruel Scorpio", but others are far too insubstantial. A little spice to go with all the sugar would be good. Maybe a producer could help Mariel get the best out of her songs next time. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)


Thanks to Marcel Rijs and Anna Maria Stjärnell for work on this entry.

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DISCLAIMER: Comments and reviews in the Ectophiles' Guide are excerpted from the ecto mailing list or volunteered by members of the list. They are the opinions of music enthusiasts, not professional music critics.

Entry last updated 2013-09-01 12:47:47.
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