The whole CD is very well produced, but not over-produced.It would be easy to dismiss this release and say “She’s good for a 14-year old” but her age is irrelevant. All of the songs are in the 3-minute range and are very well written. Vocally, Mikki reminds me a bit of Amy Lee of Evanescence, but she also has her own thing going, she definitely packs a lot of power and passion in her delivery. The final three songs “The Exiled and Her Opera House”, “Come Crawling” and “Sounds of Starlight” definitely conclude things on a high and leaves the listener wanting more. “It’s Been Dark” speeds things up a bit and moves along at a nice pace. The song is very dramatic, orchestral and pretty. This song also features a very cool guitar solo. “Goodbye Good Morning” is just a beautiful straight-up ballad and another definite highlight. Next is “This Phobia” and this track keeps things running smoothly.
This song is just so haunting, that it’s impossible not to love. The next song, “Becoming Jane Doe” begins with a melancholic piano intro, and gets heavier around the first chorus. In fact, the musicians on this CD are very good and an integral part to the overall sound and feel of the songs. The voice and the music go hand-in-hand and compliment each other very well. The vocals are well out in front in the mix, but they don’t overshadow anything.
Immediately Mikki‘s soaring, operatic vocals grab the listeners attention and then the rest of the musicians join in and the song really takes shape.
“Blood to Bleed” sets the mood perfectly and is a powerful opener. She has also received many awards and accolades for her music, which you can see on her MySpace site. In addition to adding her lead vocals and contributing piano and synthesizer, Mikki wrote all of the music and lyrics on the EP. Yes, that’s right I said she is just 14-years old, although you wouldn’t know it by listening to the songs on the debut release titled “Becoming Jane Doe”. Canada’s Viveynne are a project that features 14-year old Mikaila “ Mikki” Straatsma on vocals and piano.
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