New York based songwriter Joy Tolbert
and Pennsylvania resident Tim Toz have written more than a dozen songs since
beginning their Internet collaboration. A chance encounter and mutual
admiration formed on the Soundcloud website led to their earliest efforts and
it quickly became apparent to both artists that they experienced an unique
chemistry when working together that had no natural antecedent in their lives.
The latest release from their partnership, “Pieces”, is distinctly modern, yet
the most significant reason for its success is how artfully it obeys rock and
roll’s expectations while still peppering the mix with added instrumental
voices. While the songwriting embraces fundamentals and makes great use of
them, Toz and Tolbert aren’t content produced canned, paint by numbers rock
tracks. Instead, “Pieces” has hints of a higher sensibility noticeable in the
mix. The production chores, largely handled by Toz, are discharged
exceptionally well – “Pieces” never sounds anything less than outstanding.
A swell of keyboards and voices in
orchestrated harmony open the song before exploding in a full-born guitar
fanfare. The sound is sleek and sharply defined. Toz plays with a great deal of
lyricism and melody before the introduction ends and they move without a hiccup
into the first verse. The blaring electric guitar work dissipates into jangling
acoustic guitar, but the melody never disappears. Tolbert’s vocal melody is
extraordinarily well suited for this work – her voice falls snugly between the
spaces and rolls in lockstep with the playing. The lyrics, likewise, weave well
around the musical content. There’s something in the arrangement that
brilliantly mimics the rise and fall of human emotion and Tolbert zeros in
that, particularly on the chorus.
Her vocal performance is largely
understated, but she unleashes the full force of her throat and lungs on the
chorus and bridges. Even then, however, she never goes completely over the top
– instead, she continues listening to the lyrics and attempts exactly matching
her vocal to the drama inherent to the arrangement. She knows when to turn up
the temperature and when to back off into a more nuanced approach. Songs like
this can easily collapse into total melodrama, but mature songwriters and
performers like Toz and Tolbert know exactly how to play such moments. As a
result, one never experiences the feeling of being pandered to and finishes the
song feeling fully satisfied.
The musical and emotional fireworks
conjured by TnT Music have tremendous commercial appeal, but they are likewise
the result of artistic depth. There are superficial things galore to admire
about this song, but its truest rewards come with multiple listens. There isn’t
a single word or note out of place throughout. TnT Music shows, conclusively,
that chemistry isn’t always about being in the same room together – creativity
is no respecter of miles or postal code. They’ve captured something quite
special with their teaming up and will likely continue to score big with future
releases.
Dale Butcher
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