Yasmeen debuts
in quality effortLove Is On The Way/You Don't Have To Cry
YASMEEN Sulieman was the winner in the audio category of I-94's 1998 Brown Bags to Stardom XVIII contest. The crown jewel of her prize package was a demo recording and a spot on a future Brown Bags to Stardom anthology. Sulieman and her parents chose to pass on the I-94 deal and work with John Iervolino's Quiet Storm organization instead.
Iervolino and producer Carlos Villalobos introduce Sulieman with a well crafted CD single.
The "gospel version" of "Love Is On The Way" is no more soulful that the "radio mix" but is a better showcase for her. Sulieman has come a long way in less than year, and Iervolino is well along in making her over as a local pop vocalist.
Iervolino shows a keen understanding of the Hawaii music market by using local pop heartthrob Justin as guest vocalist on a softer and more languorous song, "You Don't Have To Cry." Justin is the hottest thing going in local pop; his participation ensures local air play.
Villalobos shows his versatility throughout. He co-wrote "You Don't Have To Cry," synthesized and/or programmed all the music tracks, created the languid pop arrangements, and did a memorable job backing Sulieman on vocals. He avoids the familiar pitfalls of local pop arrangements but the gratuitous "minus-one" tracks add nothing to the package.
Time was, when it came to recording in Hawaii, that all local artists worked through established record distributors. Gail Swanson is one of the many promising local artists who records on Maui and handles distribution personally. She is an amazing discovery who deserves a state-wide audience and radio play nationwide.
Swanson is a multitalented artist. She writes memorable songs, plays several instruments, and favors a hot mainstream blend of modern country flavored acoustic rock. Her voice conveys images of tarnished dreams, the doubts that come after several disappointing relationships, and of enduring hope and faith that a lasting love awaits discovery.
She sings of relationships of convenience, of a man who pushed her away by clinging too tightly, and of a friend's fight against drug addiction. These aren't formula pop topics but the arrangements have hooks and the lyrics create memorable images.
See Record Reviews for some of John Berger's past reviews.
See Aloha Worldwide for locals living away.
John Berger, who has covered the local
entertainment scene since 1972, writes reviews of recordings
produced by Hawaii artists. See the Star-Bulletin's Home Zone
section on Fridays for the latest reviews.
