MELISSA AXEL: Free Time (EP)

Melissa Axel

Free Time (EP)

© 2003 Melissa Axel (ASCAP) (634479837326)

Thoughtful, straightforward lyrics, vocal depth, & piano intensity. Basically, the (sometimes smart, often emotional, but rarely psychotic) girl with a piano, mixing in electronic, jazz, world and other contemporary influences here and there.

notes

***AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ONLY: This EP was a limited edition release (physical copies are SOLD OUT).***

At just eight years of age, Melissa Axel was writing songs about the bittersweet journey of life, love, struggle, and inspiration—and not much has changed since. This proverbial "girl and a piano" follow in the heady footsteps of fellow redhead Tori Amos's early work, fusing electronica, jazz, and other contemporary influences with Axel's strengths as a singer/songwriter to transform life experiences and emotions into songs that express the fear and joy and pain and love that connect us all.

Axel studied at Boston's renowned Berklee College of Music and went on to earn her master's in Interdisciplinary Arts on full scholarship to Nova Southeastern University, where she hosted the eclectic music show The Authentic Life on Radio X 88.5 FM. As Creative Director of the stage production The Human Adventure: resurrecting the memory of love, Axel incorporated much of her original music alongside popular electronic, rock, and film score pieces for a multimedia-, drama-, and dance-infused presentation of the "hero's journey" toward fulfillment and authenticity.

Axel was awarded a 2008 scholarship to WOMAD Summer School (World of Music and Dance founded in 1980 by Peter Gabriel) in the UK, where she studied songwriting with Belfast troubadour Andy White and African music with N’Faly Kouyaté of Afro Celt Sound System. She is currently recording her first full-length album No More Fairytales, with a limited edition pre-release EP (Transition: Songs from the forthcoming album No More Fairytales) available on CD for holiday season 2008.

reviews

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  • Really beautiful, love the experimental stuff going on throughout with the vocal
    author: Jonny Forbin

    Love the instrumental of the first track at the end. I really like the epic feel of it, and how you go into spoken parts. Also, great beats/grooves and piano hooks throughout, "Out Of Nowhere" (first track) is a gorgeous song. Also really like track 3, awesome jazzy melodies, love that chromatic thing sung on that track. I totally hear a Zero 7/Sia influence throughout the CD, definitely a good thing!

  • Eloquently put, extremely well recorded, remarkable craft.
    author: M. Dilliott

    Free Time struck me as being most like 2 EP's onto a single disc. The contents of this CD could easily be 2 versions of a limited release single that some bands seem to be into. Aside from that, Melissa's music is very beautiful, very well written. Specifically, the arrangements are approriate and well timed and layered, however not predictable or cliche'd. Her influences are detectable but not overt. It is obvious from listening to this CD that the recording and writing were very much in Melissa's hands, -the recording is really quite remarkable: the mix is well toned, even, neutral, and appropriately produced, but all of the instrumentation is captured to a remarkably true degree, -unlike a great number of other recordings who rely on production and studio manipulation to make their sound. I greatly look forward to an album from Melissa Axel, and if it is written and arranged/produced anything like Free Time, I think we will hear work from this artist well into the future.

  • A solid debut
    author: Jim Santo, Demo Universe

    Axel's contemplative piano songs and instrumentals show the influence of jazz (via Joni Mitchell) and New Age electronics — and thankfully little of the Tori Amos effect; Melissa eschews meandering diary-pop for well structured compositions. Although not earth-shattering, Free Time is a solid debut and I look forward to hearing Axel develop her craft.

  • Melissa Axel has a pretty voice and plays piano quite well.
    author: Amy Lotsberg

    The first five songs are vocals and piano, with some extras thrown in as well. The rest of the CD is some funky instrumental stuff that is part techno, part orchestra. It's nice background music. "Clave Moon" and "Aurora" have some especially funky sounds. "Clave Moon" in particular sounds like it ought to be used as a film score. "The Worth Of Things" is a really cool piece, probably the best one on the recording, in my opinion.

  • Poignant songs...
    author: Gavin Molton, Into Music

    Poignant songs with some deep and relevant social commentary like in the songs "The Worth Of Things" and "Disappointment." Also there is a nice mix of instrumental songs available.

  • Great vocal songs, instrumentals, remarkable voice
    author: Suzi Brathwaite, Muzik Reviewz.com

    [On Melissa Axel's CD Free Time,] you can find great vocal songs "Out of Nowhere," "Disappointment," "I Am," and "The Worth of Things." Also, on the instrumentals such as "Disappointment," "Aquarium," and "The Worth Of Things"... in each and every one of them you will find a deep story of life, full of joy, sadness, disappointment, love... Her creativity as a songwriter is so phenomenal, that even if you would expect something sad, it will come out opposite. It will definitely have an enormous effect on you, your life, and your thoughts. The depth of her voice gives her lyrics emotional strength. She builds images that you can see and relate to. The piano notes make them even more colorful.

  • Recommended: Melissa Axel's music is lovely and has a lot of substance.
    author: Anna Maria Stjärnell, Ectophiles' Guide to Good Music

    Melissa Axel has a sweet voice and an eclectic approach to songwriting. This ep has four vocal tracks that are all strong and six instrumentals. I prefer the tracks with words, but that's more a personal preference than any real criticism. Those songs are still intriguingly made. This is a wonderful record.

  • This is a good CD.
    author: Jorge Palma

    I like this CD because the style that she has, plus the electronic tracks were GOOD... Thank You

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