Chaz Chambers – Colored World
Chaz Chambers – Colored World – EP Review
Ahhh yes! Here it IS! The much anticipated full EP from musical innovationist Chaz Chambers dubbed Colored World. Ever since getting our first snapshot of this Denver, Colorado-based musician through reviewing the lead single “Calming Pressures” earlier this year; to say I had high-hopes and expectations about any of his future tunes would be a complete understatement. With a strong background of experience in the studio, production and performance – not only was “Calming Pressures” an impressively mixed and well-written song, but it also served its purpose in announcing the arrival of this fantastic musician and making the memorable impact we always hope our music will make. With tender tones and a genuinely beautiful pulse and rhythm, “Calming Pressures” was the gateway into the music – and now only a short time later here in 2015, we’ve got the full EP roaring gorgeously through the speakers loud and proud.
At only a short minute in length, “Intro” begins the four-song EP with delicate tones and expanding atmosphere. Recorded in a cabin somewhere way up in the North Georgia Mountains – you can feel the presence of the wide-open creeping in more and more as the “Intro” carries out its mission and warms you to the sound of Chambers and the various other musicians that made their way onto the songs with him. It serves as the invitation and really opens up brightly and beautifully; it does end perhaps a little too abruptly, but still an excellent idea to cut it right out to drop into the blissful track to follow.
“Colored Walls” doesn’t take long to explode into energy and a massive sound…maybe thirty seconds of subtle behaviour from Chaz…and then this track just decides to go ahead and fill up a stadium’s worth of sound. The vocals and easy hook chanting “Hey,” are really essential keys to this song – they come out as a bold & true anthem, direct, passionate and laced with raw-emotion. Love the sound of the featured musicians Cody Sisco and Victoria Evans…someone of those two or perhaps both are providing some fantastic vocals here in this excellent title-track. What an energy this song harnesses! Great guitars, exceptional piano-playing and a perfect rhythm in the percussion department all bring this song to its massively uplifting tone and incredibly inescapable hooks. An effort worthy of some words of praise? Worthy as an entire novel – are you kidding me? Perfect song.
Now of course…many of you already know about how I feel about “Calming Pressures,” and for the full-read I did earlier this year – check out the review on the lead single from Colored World right here. For those that haven’t read it…well…no, go and check that out otherwise I’m likely to go on and on and on again about how much I like this song…
The abbreviated version is that “Calming Pressures,” is a complete delight to the ears. Relaxing, warm & inviting as his sound has a knack for being every time – Chaz Chambers put together a real winner with “Calming Pressures” and was really smart to release that song early to get the buzz going strong without shooting every arrow out of his quiver. As I said in the opening – it did a great job of introducing the sound & style of Chambers and hinted at bigger and even more incredible sounds. I think you can definitely hear the overall expansion of that sound & style on the “Colored Walls,” and in its own different way, also on the final track “Fore,” which is somewhat of a departure from the overall sound, but a welcome one that works well for Chaz and guest-star Josh Melby.
With more of a lean towards an electro-influenced beat, Chaz does well to match the percussive elements to the sweet electro-tones. Also led strongly in the bass department, there’s some great ideas and true exploration in this final energetic and transformative song “Fore.” On a musical level you’ve gotta appreciate this instrumental as the final piece of the Chambers puzzle – it communicates its emotion in a variety of successful moods, ranging from contently happy to pensively thoughtful… Whatever you’re thinking about, this is the kind of song with the right atmosphere to take you away from it all for a moment…to just chill out and listen to some of the beauty that can be found in strong independent music like this.
Chaz Chambers has done himself justice here with an excellent EP full of moments with real emotional impact. Colored World is captivatingly beautiful and inviting, entertaining throughout and really feels like the musical equivalent of home & peace.
Find out more about him at his official page: http://www.chazchambers.com/
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