I’ve known of Maini for a few years or so, and like the artist enough, that I’ve listened to 99% of her previous offerings. Anyone who has listened through her catalog knows that over the years Maini’s sound has developed, expanded and has become more progressive. I think this new approached is very apparent in Maini’s latest single “Parting Of Our Way”– music by Maini and lyrics by Gary Cornman, while the instrumental is done by Orlando Mestre. The whole rock, ambient metal idea, is really cool, and blending it with Maini’s airy, high pitched vocals provides an interesting contrast.
Let me tell you, on this track, Maini is absolutely solid. The quality of melody, rhythm structures, and direction of the song is fantastic. The song flows very nicely from intro to verse to chorus, all of which makes sense to the listener. Also, and because of this, the track is very approachable to new listeners.
Looking at things a little deeper, I’m am very impressed with Maini’s deadpan vocals on this track. Her delivery is excellent, she has wonderful tone, and her harmonies sound absolutely beautiful. While harmonies are very apparent and heavily used on this track, I believe it is not over done, it is well thought out, and precise.
Plus, effects used on Maini’s voice also change in key areas of the song, which kind of goes back to the thought of ambient metal. When the music transitions from a heavier phase of the song to a dreamier, spacy feel, these transitions flow nicely. Guitars fade appropriately, percussion switches to a softer, electronic effect, and the vocals take the forefront, highlighting the strength and beauty of Maini’s voice.
As for the music as a whole, each individual part can be highlighted away from everything else that’s happening. At the same time, it does form an overall sound! This is a strong showing of the musicianship and production values on this track.
Bass tracks are always interesting and apparent. I appreciate this, as it gives the song’s sound a strong bottom-end, but it also doesn’t take anything away from the guitar work. I’ve noticed that the guitar work is overall very creative without going over the top. I think Orlando Mestre has pretty much figured out what role the guitars should play in this arrangement.
As for drum tracks, fills are interesting and appropriate, but what is most important in my mind, is how the drum tracks help the band transition from heavier parts into the more ambient ones. I like the tone of the drums, even though they do sound kind of electronic throughout.
Finally, I must touch on the production of this album. Brian Lanese & Orlando Mestre produced the track, and they did a fantastic job. I can imagine that this style of music could have a million directions in terms of how a producer might fiddle with the sound and layout of these songs. But, the two producers seemed to have clear ideas, without over producing. In conclusion, this is simply a fantastic track.
MORE ABOUT: Maini Sorri is a Swedish-Finnish singer, musician and songwriter living in Sweden who has composed music since she was 8 years old having emigrated from Finland to Sweden as a teenager. Maini has performed her original songs in concerts as well as on radio and TV.
She has studied piano, music theory and composing while her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts from Musikhögskolan in Örebro, Sweden, which is now known as the Faculty of Arts at Örebro University.
OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – ITUNES – FACEBOOK – TWITTER – YOUTUBE –REVERBNATION – SOUNDCLOUD – BANDCAMP
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