Mariel
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Mainstream acoustic pop
Status:
Most recent release, One Molecule of Love (2006)
See also:
CD Baby's page for Mariel
Comparisons:
'Stevie Nicks meets The Sundays', says her bio. I would tend to add Lori Carson as well. (marcel@kimwilde.com)
Covers/own material:
Mostly own, occasional covers
General comments:
A beautiful woman who sings beautiful songs. She does not expect any commercial success, but I think with the right set of people around her she just might get it. (marcel@kimwilde.com)Mariel has a pretty voice and writes catchy songs. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
Recommended first album:
The Darkest Angel or Fragments of a Dream
Recordings:
- Mood Swings (1991)
- Starry Eyes (1996)
- The Darkest Angel (1999)
- Fragments of a Dream (2001)
- One Molecule of Love (2006)
The Darkest Angel
Release info:
1999—Aerial Sounds, P.O. Box 4634 Cherry Hill, NY 08034, U.S.A., aerialsnd@aol.com—1003
Availability:
Unknown
Ecto priority:
Medium
Group members:
Mariel—vocal, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, programming
Guest artists:
Rob Federici—acoustic guitar
Vinnie Martello—guitars
Mike Vogelman—bass
Bobby Corea—drums
Produced by:
Mariel
Comments:
This album starts out powerfully with two songs which I took an instant liking to. "The Darkest Angel" is an acoustic gem, whereas "Inbetween days", a cover of the classic uptempo song by The Cure, has been turned into a moody and beautiful ballad. Then suddenly, she goes into 'demo' mode with "Surreal love". This is exactly where the listener realises that Mariel has a limited vocal range which in some songs is not produced well enough. Fortunately, "99 Lies" is a rocking songs becoming her a lot better and songs like "Strange one" and "I'll be your mirror" (a cover of a song written by Lou Reed) further showcase her ability to mould a song into something worth listening to. Unfortunately, this can't be said for all of the songs. Her constant use of a higher register tends to get boring after hearing a few songs in a row, and I think she would benefit from stronger arrangements and better producer. I keep thinking that there's a jewel somewhere in there waiting to be brought out. (marcel@kimwilde.com)
Fragments of a Dream
Release info:
2001—Aerial Sounds, P.O. Box 4634 Cherry Hill, NY 08034, U.S.A., aerialsnd@aol.com—1004
Availability:
See CD Baby
Ecto priority:
Medium
Group members:
Mariel—vocals, acoustic guitars, keyboards, programming
Guest artists:
Chris Mood—guitars
Patrick Van Belle—drums
Chris Eike—bass
Lino—classical guitar, bass, programming
Rbon Federici—lead guitar on 1 track
Produced by:
Mariel (one track Mariel and Lino)
Comments:
Mariel's new album is very nice, but not essential. Her songs deal with lost love in a fairly intriguing way. Some tracks are very good, like "Cruel Scorpio", but others are far too insubstantial. A little spice to go with all the sugar would be good. Maybe a producer could help Mariel get the best out of her songs next time. (stjarnell@yahoo.com)
Thanks to Marcel Rijs and Anna Maria Stjärnell for work on this entry.
