REVIEW: Artist is unique, has smooth style
Nick Motil is a young, up-and-coming artist that has toured with the likes of Jason Mraz among others, and is putting out a good, strong sound in the “Everything’s Alright EP” he released April 15, 2008.
Motil recently visited USU to showcase his talents at the Big Blue Ball, the USU formal spring dance and also to host the Robin’s Awards, the most prestigious annual awards ceremony for students, staff and faculty of USU. Motil did an excellent job and also helped out Fusion HD3, the USU student radio station, in the process by generously donating his EP and some promo work in return for some publicity. I’m happy to oblige.
The first thing that caught my attention when I heard about Motil was that he has toured with Mraz. I love Mraz’s music. I’m a Mraz junkie. So, naturally, I thought anyone that has toured with him can’t be horrible, and I was absolutely right.
As an individual, Motil is cordial, forthcoming and he certainly knows how to bust a good joke every now and again. His humor brought a wonderfully light atmosphere to the Robin’s Awards and his live music kept USU students and alums alike dancing the night away.
“The Everything’s Alright EP,” by no means, is the debut effort for Motil. He has released three studio albums to this point over the last four years. His debut album was released in 2004, and Motil has released a strong album every year since then.
Indeed, it can be said that Motil has enjoyed a lot of success, especially while touring with Mraz, where, according to CDBaby.com, he sold more than 5,000 CDs.
Motil’s style is unique, very similar to James Taylor in his heyday. His sound, which employs strong guitar progressions and scaling vocals, generates an upbeat feeling in all those who listen. His lyrical style is also cross-genre. It could be argued that Motil is a country artist, although his guitar style and the absence of violins would tell listeners the opposite of him. Motil’s voice is silky smooth – his music is the perfect complement to the weekend get together with family, the occasional barbecue and road trip.
Also, Motil’s lyrics do something that very few superstars of the music world do today – they tell a story. Motil’s lyrics mean something, and in a day and age where “I Kissed a Girl” can sit on the top of the charts for three straight months, I find that refreshing.
Motil’s music is anything but repetitive. Indeed, this may be one of Motil’s strongest points, in my opinion, but it could also be what may be holding him back from super-stardom. Motil’s music, although very strong, lacks one thing above all else – a convincing and strong hook that sticks in the mind of the listener after the song is over.
The strongest of Motil’s various attempts at this would be in the first track, “Try Harder,” but the hook comes at an odd place that ends up being a slight drawback. That having been said, if this is Motil’s biggest challenge, he’s definitely got a bright future ahead of him.
The first track of the EP, “Try Harder” is excellent. By far, the strength of this track is in its lyrics. Some of lyrics from the lullaby “Momma’s gonna buy you a mocking bird …” set to an upbeat and progressive melody and provide a optimism to the romantic theme in the excellent lyrics. Motil did well in this track, which is by far the best of the EP.
Track number two, “Butterflies,” continues the romantic theme established in the first. The tempo is much slower, and the melody slides quite a bit more. This song reminds me of James Taylor a lot, perhaps more than track five, “Either Way,” which sounds a lot like Taylor. It creates a very relaxing ambient that is very difficult to dislike.
The last track of the EP, “Home” is also very good. However, I think it should be the track to take either the opening position or the climax position of the EP. The tempo is upbeat and forward, and the harmony in this song that Motil’s female counterpart, whoever she is (I don’t know who it is. Nick, tell me that girl’s name) completes the song. It, along with “Try Harder,” constitute the meat of this EP and should be showcased as such.
Special thanks to Nick Motil for the sound byte and for the EP. USU loves you, man.
–la.hem@aggiemail.usu.edu