Devin Carmicle is not a pure mirror of his influences, rather his music introduces you to the tapestry of his mind shot through with threads that you may recognize. I can hear several Pop Metal/Hard Rock bands I've listened to over the years, including Cinderella, Guns 'n' Roses, Faith No More and Taproot.. Probably my favorite thing about Devin Carmicle's Portrait is that he never stays with one sound for very long.
One man band Devin Carmicle grew up listening to Led Zepplin, Peter Frampton and Rush. He has worked in New York, L.A. and more recently Tampa Bay. He isn't a bad addition to Florida's Hard Rock scene either - his first solo, Portrait, mixes his influences and personal sound waves into music that is joy to the ears.
The guitar playing has a good amount of crunch and the lead guitar aims to please without ever going overboard. The rhythm section is particularly pleasant to my ears, flowing and crashing gracefully. The keyboards add to Devin's odd brand of the upbeat and eerie, a lot of his creepy side is owed to it. Devin's voice sounds like someone through Mike Tramp (White Lion), Tom Keifer (Cinderella) and Axel Rose (Guns 'n' Roses) in a blender and hit extra sweet blend. His mid-tempo and slightly rough voice has a laid back vibe to it.
Portrait's heaviness factor spans from the soft to hardest side of old eighties glam and Hair Metal. It all comes together like a well made dinner, with lighter treats to nibble before the main and fuller sounding main course. I like almost all of the songs on Portrait and find them extremely fitting for a Hard Rock sing-along.
The opening track, Divide, is one of the heavier songs on the record. A moody song with good dynamics, Divide has an eerie edge to it that I love. Walk In The Park shows contemporary influences and has soothing keyboards. Kari Anovich is probably the most straightforward song on Portrait and is also the catchiest.
Portrait walks up nonchalantly behind you and hauls in your emotions. It makes for good listening when you are feeling a sharp melancholy with some longing thrown in for good measure. It is always good to see a band can both rock and spread itself a bit and it is unusual to see a band already distancing itself from its influences on the first record. I am curious to see where Devin Carmicle's work is in a few albums. In the meantime I'll be turning on the cd player and rocking.
This is Amy La Salla, putting the horns up and signing out...