Welcome to the EvO:R Independent CD Reviews Section.
I would like to take a few minutes to introduce ourselves to everyone. The EvO:R review section features reviews from various independent musicians that submit material for our consideration.

I wanted to let you know a little about our review teams collective thoughts on music. It's important to let the people that we review know how we think of their music and how we listened to their creations.

First of all, we strongly believe that if your music stinks then the world should know about it! After all, you have the nerve to charge as much for your stuff as the majors do so it better be pretty damn good. If your material is good, we'll be glad to tell the world. I We will hold nothing back! That is a promise.
The EvO:R CD Review Team

Influenced by some of the best elements of the So-Cal Sound, native California singer, songwriter, and keyboard artist, Julia Free has taken her experiences in traveling the world and created her own seductive style spiced with some lilting rhythms.

First, let me express that this is an older release as Julia Free has a more recent CD called Turn the Soil that I had the joy to sample at www.CDBaby.com. Turn the Soil is a much better sounding record than this one. Unfortunately, Strange Case of Euphoria is the disc I have up for review.

I have to start by saying -I grabbed this disc from the pile because the cover was so hideous, I wanted to see what the artist sounded like. I could not get past the mid-point of the disc. The production sounds like a bad demo where all the instruments are mashed together and it is hard to decipher what is going on instrumentally. The song writing, of what I heard, is alright (I guess) and vocally, Julia sounds about average here - nothing exciting enough to say ‘wow.’

On a brighter note – I am glad that I had the motivation to check on any possible new material from this artist (because I felt bad about what I was writing.). Many of the songs from Strange Case of Euphoria have been redone for her newest release, Turn the Soil. I listened to all the clips and can report the production on Turn the Soil is great and I did say ‘wow.’ Unfortunately, 30-60 second clips are all I have to go on. If I can get a hold of Turn the Soil, I will be able to give a much better review than this one.

Song Samples from the CD
All song samples are from the David Steele page on CD Baby.

 Girl I Knew/   Boo Hoo/   These Games/   Strange Case Of Euphoria/   Turn The Soil/   Buy Me Something Sweet/   Laugh At My Toes/   Seven Days/   Seriously/ 

Conclusion:

Julia Free -Strange Case of Euphoria –Forget it!!

It’s not even worth the cost of a digital download. But take the time to listen to her newest work, Turn the Soil. From what I heard, it is a vast improvement all the way around in all areas (production and performance.) Though, this artist may be able to redeem herself with her newest release - Julia Free – Strange Case of Euphoria gets a D.

Jimmy Caterine...EvO:R Reviewer.

The EvO:R CD Reviews Home Page

About the reviewer- Jimmy Caterine has numerous album credits to his name. He is most noted as founder, guitarist and co-writer for 80’s metal quartet, Sacred Rite (Capitol Records.) He has worked with top name professionals in the industry. This would include Grammy Award winning producer Sonny Limbo (Bertie Higgins) and publishing coordinator Randall Wixen (Fleetwood Mac, Jackson Brown.)

Aside from his original projects he did a 3 month stint playing guitar for the live stage production of Rocky Horror Picture Show in 1987. He was the guitarist for MGM recording artist and power house vocalist, Sami Jo Cole (Tell Me a Lie) in 1995. He has also played with classic rock tribute act Time Machine, on the Las Vegas convention circuit in ’97 and ’98.

Following a car accident in 2001 Jimmy Caterine took a break from performing. He was reluctant to return to the stage due to PTSD. In the years that followed Jimmy took an inward journey to confront his own personal demons. While away he had to come to terms with the many changes in the music industry. During his hiatus he created and released two independent solo CD’s.

In 2007 Jimmy recorded and released a reunion CD with Sacred Rite. Currently Jimmy owns Soulaire Sound which is a mobile recording/live sound reinforcement company in Phoenix, AZ. He performs regularly with his organic jazz sextet, Dream Chemistry.

If you’d like to know more about Jimmy Caterine you can visit the following web sites: