The singer and songwriter known as
Valentine has released his debut single, a seasonal tune for the
holidays titled “Snowflakes.” The track has been proudly
published as an independent music release entirely without financial
support from the corporate music infrastructure. A second track from
Valentine, “Christmas Eve,” has also been released by the artist
for the 2014/2015 season. Warm, playful, and lightheartedly poetic,
“Snowflakes” by Valentine is easily one of the year's most
pleasant additions to the holiday repertoire.
A musical individualist to his core,
Valentine cites no artistic influences but rather strives to coin his
own sound. His signature style has been called “pop country jazz,”
with each term carrying equal emphasis.
Elements of pop in “Snowflakes”
make it immediately accessible and undeniably catchy, while fiddle
and pedal steel guitar instrumentation lend familiar country
overtones of the American tradition. Valentine's precise, yet
deceptively simple songwriting and knack for blending genres in
innovative ways hint at his underpinnings in jazz, yet the whole
package comes off in “Snowflakes” just as easy and natural as a
snowflake falling from the sky.
Perhaps the most attractive aspect of
Valentine's “Snowflakes” single is the singer, himself, whose
happy-go-lucky vocals and cheerful lyrics are plainly irresistible.
As one such couplet from the song runs, “Snowflakes from the sky /
kiss cheeks then say goodbye / no two are the same / but they all
share one name.”
A short description of the song from
Valentine's official website [link provided below] comments,
“Valentine sings the song in high A to depict a child full of
energy having fun in a snow-covered winter wonderland … Driving
tempos, walking bass lines and snare-driven drums create an energetic
shuffle that's very easy to move to.”
That the artist omits the use of a
“kick” drum is also significant, a choice which keeps the song
light and airy. A quintet of top Nashville sessions players provide
riffs to accompany Valentine's singing.
Common to Valentine's other material,
“Snowflakes” has been written and produced with an intellectual's
zeal for detail, and with professional engineering by Roland Alvarez.
This track, as well as “Christmas Eve” and other songs, have been
recorded using analog technology rather than contemporary digital
plug-in software, resulting in a far warmer, much more friendly
texture and tone. Perhaps most interestingly, too, is this fact taken
also from his official website:
“Valentine's songs all tune A to
432Hz to resonate healthfully in prime numbers like nature, as
opposed to the exaggerated 440Hz originally implemented to give
classical music more 'pop.' The result is rhythmic, musical fun
that's very pleasing to the ear.”
Valentine's current official bio
describes him as “a philosopher philanthropist who has dedicated
his life to solving the socioeconomic problems of our day. In his
spare time he has written-produced-directed three motion pictures and
recorded a library of 40 songs in Nashville, as well as a 50-song
Broadway library.
“In order to attract attention to his
vision for solving our problems, 10 of his songs are political and
have accompanying music videos soon available on iTunes, YouTube and
TheValentineAmendments.com, a site dedicated to Valentine's
amendments to the US Constitution with video explanations filmed in
Nashville in front of the life-sized replica of the Greek Parthenon,
birthplace of democracy.”
Additionally, Valentine's site for
commercial music may be found at ValentineSongs.com.
“Snowflakes” by Valentine is
available online worldwide. Watch also for its corresponding single,
“Christmas Eve,” also available for listening and purchase
online.
-S. McCauley
Lead Press Release Writer
www.MondoTunes.com
“Snowflakes” by Valentine –
Websites -
http://valentinesongs.com/
(currently under construction)
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