Adeline
CD Reviews

 

Ozmusicproject

From former Swivel man Bryan Estepa comes a new band called Adeline and their first disc, the appropriately named ‘Start Again’. As an artist with a genuine gift for songwriting and a strong, outstanding voice to boot, it’s hard to believe that Estepa has not made a larger impact on the music scene already. With a little help from his friends (including members of Sydney band The Winters) to colour in the blanks, his songs are catchy from the word go.

For every lover of acoustic pop gems, this CD is for you. The title track pays homage to the more classic You Am I songs like Purple Sneakers while ‘Better Days’ tastes of the Beatles and Rufus Wainright. ‘Lullaby’, the EP closer, is a pleaser for all fans of melancholia and tales of heartbreak.

What this disc showcases is one of Sydney’s best-kept musical secrets. ‘Start Again’ is an accomplished and well-orchestrated debut featuring a sound collection of finely crafted pop tunes. Here’s hoping that we will see more great things from Adeline in the future.

Meeshell

Rockus Magazine

Urgent emotive vocals and acoustic ballads are the order of the day on Adeline's debut 'Start Again' EP. It's a wonderful first up release from the young Sydney quartet and displays their smart pop sensibilities mixed with a desire to stand out from the pack. The EP opens with the title track, which is a country-esque pop treat that is almost a little deceiving towards what the band do best - creating simple emotional songs combined with Bryan Estepa's unique vocal style. Rather than predictably restrain his voice to fit in with the down-tempo theme, he conveys his youth and anxiety through his melodies, which suits perfectly with the music. The ballads on the EP are by far the stand out tracks, particularly 'All That Was There', which is as heart wrenching as it is simplistic and shows Adeline in their element. Definitely a band to watch out for.

Rating: 7/10
By: Steph Edwardes

Not Lame Recordings

Australian import from 2003 from Bryan Estepa, whose 2006 solo album is a *must* check out on this site! With this one, it serves as a pretty nice introduction, even if it`s not a fully accurate display of where Estepa is now(the new album is produced by Michael Carpenter continuing his endless hot-streak of producing the best pop talent in Australia), it`s an excellent 6 song, 26 minute mini-album filled with lots of pop delight. Adeline was/is a hard band to pin down, musically, stylistically speaking but there`s no doubt, it is a pop band but one that was unwilling to follow conventions of indie poppers, turn things down a bit, find some slow-Harrison-esque grooves and jams and see where they would take them. You can hear echoes of the best of George Harrison`s solo work, The Band, Ice Cream Hands and Big Star`s "3rd" clearly on these 6 songs making this not only a grower, but one that we can very highly recommend without reservation!