- Release Date: 4 February 2010
- Label: Carlos Media Corp
- Producer: Ethan Kaufmann
- David Amezcua - vocals, guitars, bass, drums
[Voto: 4.5]
I don't know how many of you have had the chance to listen to the excellent major debut album by Under The Influence Of Giants, a band from Los Angeles often compared to the Scissor Sisters; with that CD they reached the top of the Heatseekers Billboard chart in 2006.
Well, the bassist of that brilliant pop/rock/soul/funk/blues band is none other than our David Amezcua from Hollywood , deus-ex-machina of this new band called Hotstreets, where the bearded artist sings, plays guitars, drums, writes music and lyrics and, obviously, plays bass guitar.
David boasts different important collaborations in his curriculum vitae, besides UtIoG he played live with Hoobastank, Ryan Cabrera and others and he declares to be influenced by a plethora of artists of different genres like pop, soul, rock and funk.
The versatility of his tastes is clearly reflected in his compositions. Starting from the funky westcoast sound that pervades the opener "Dr. Doctor" to the concluding easy listening "SNL", it is a sequence of beautiful and wonderfully arranged pop songs, where the 70/80s sound of legends like Chicago, Toto, Prince, Steely Dan, Bee Gees, Survivor, George Michael, Supertramp and ELO is skilfully melted with a more contemporary sound like the one of Maroon 5, Mika, Jamiroquai, The Feeling, Orson and Donkeyboy. Everything is driven by the thin voice of David, a crossover of Michael Jackson, Jake Shears of Scissor Sisters and Adam Levine of Maroon 5.
If we would like to compare Hotstreets' sound with his mother-band, we may notice that UtIoG had a more sharpened dance beat and a more theatrical vein of insanity than Amezcua's compositions, while the Hotstreets' leader is focused to reach an audience who mainly loves classic, smooth and adult oriented sounds.
Anyway, with Under The Influence Of Giants or by himself, David Amezcua is a first-class artist and if you indentify yourself with the references of my review, buy his music pronto.
Tracklist of Hotstreets
- 01. Dr. Doctor 3:45
- 02. Complicated 3:14
- 03. Hush 3:05
- 04. She's A Sleep Machine 3:19
- 05. Just A Little Bit 2:57
- 06. The Last Call 3:02
- 07. Aim To Lose 3:49
- 08. Condescending Paradise 3:05
- 09. Something To Belong 2:32
- 10. SNL 3:33
Discography of Hotstreets
- Hotstreets (2010 Carlos Media Corp)
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