Sabrina

Country of origin:

U.S.

Type of music generally:

Goth-tinged pop/rock

Status:

Sole release to date as a solo artist, Euphoria (2001)

See also:

CD Baby's page for Sabrina & The Haunt

Comparisons:

She reminds me more of Count 3 and Pray-era Berlin and Terri Nunn's solo album than any particular Goth band, maybe a less crunchy Garbage. (jjhanson@att.net)

Covers/own material:

Own cowritten songs, occasional covers

General comments:

Sabrina writes music that seem to be destined to be the soundtrack to WB's TV show Charmed. Sabrina even looks a bit like Shannon Doherty come to think of it, with her long dark locks, and fair skin. Her music affects a goth-attitude, but its pop-influence overpowers any dark goth shades, giving it a candy-coated sound that's commercially viable and completely inoffensive. This is goth music for sheltered suburban teens, playing at being cool—but then again, isn't all goth music? Despite this, or perhaps because of it, her songs are inherently catchy. (jjhanson@att.net)

Recommended first album:

Euphoria is her sole release to date as a solo artist

Recordings:

Euphoria (2001)

Euphoria

Release info:

2001—Serip Records—SR 32118-2

Availability:

See CD Baby for availability

Ecto priority:

Recommended

Group members:

Sabrina—vocals

Guest artists:

Spyro Karagiannis—drum programming, guitars, bass, string sequences, guitars, bass
John Pires—drum programming, lead squeaky chair
Keith Pires—guitars, bass, additional guitars, squeaky chair

Produced by:

Spyro Karagiannis, John Pires

Comments:

On her debut album, Euphoria, Sabrina's voice is strong and shows a lot of potential—it's the kind of voice that I think would be even more powerful live—in that aspect, she reminds me a lot of late-era Berlin (Count Three and Pray) or Terri Nunn's solo album, particularly on the songs "Angels Cry" and "Nowhere Girl". She doesn't quite have the powerful voice that Terri Nunn has, but then Terri Nunn didn't either when Berlin first came out. The synth/guitar arrangements also add to the feeling of a late-'80s bands.
     Overall, this debut promises a lot of potential. Her songwriting needs to mature a bit, as choruses tend to be one line repeated over and over, but her voice is interesting enough that I don't really mind. The album definitely seems to be the work of collaborators and producers, and the arrangements are fairly straightforward. Give her time to develop her writing skills, and a real band to play with and interact with, and Sabrina just may develop to be a formidable artist. (jjhanson@att.net)

Thanks to Jeffrey Hanson for work on this entry.