EarlyRise, however, is from Israel, mostly. Vocalist, keyboardist Orly Lari is from Israel. . . and New York, but seems to spend time primarily in Israel, along with fellow band mates Raz Klinghoffer, Itamar Goldwasser and Dima Grossman. This is their first release and it’s a good one, surprisingly for a first effort. It’s a little difficult to get a lot of information about the band, they don’t even have their website up yet and, needless to say, there haven’t been a lot of reviews out about them but expect that to change as people get a chance to hear their work. I can tell you this, there was a scramble to get the assignment to do this review here at SC as several people found out about them all at once and they certainly generated some serious interest. And believe me, we don’t all agree on what we like all the time, there are differences that are distinct for each writer here on staff.

I usually like to get a feel for what artists are saying in their music, that’s why I focus on lyrics. And often, these lyrics will tell us a lot about the band and reflect things that are going on in that part of the world. You can learn a lot by paying attention to what’s being said. And, having grown up in Miami, and spending much of my life on Miami Beach, I’ve known a lot of people from Israel. I recall asking my mother as a kid what those numbers tattooed on people’s arms meant, and being shocked by the answer. So, I would not have been surprised to hear a bit of a political message in the music on What If. Well, Lari commented on their lyrics saying, "there isn't really one general direction or one particular message behind them. Unlike what most people think, life in Israel is actually very similar to life in many other places. Yes, there is of course a difference between Israel and the U.S but like most people our age, we're striving to forge own individual identities, figuring out who we want to become in this world, building relationships and dealing with setbacks and heartaches along the way. Our lives are influenced by many people, places, experiences and myriad choices and possibilities. We write about our personal experiences and emotions, things that anyone from anywhere can relate to. We have no interest in discussing our political views or the situation in the Middle East and we're not trying to send out any messages about those things." Nicely put. But those lyrics are interesting, and tend to be sung with some serious emotion, especially on songs like Leave Me Alone and Shell which are rockers of the highest order.

You’d be hard pressed to identify a "best" song on the CD, there’s a lot of good stuff here. But, Wasteland seems to be high on the list, it certainly is on mine anyway. You get some sterling guitar work, although you can say that about a number of cuts on this production. But you also get a nice, emotion based performance; Lari makes an interesting statement here over some strong background instrumental work. Lyrically, we get:

Personally, I rather prefer the songs that make use of the keyboards, piano or otherwise. EarlyRise – 03 – What If is one of these, you get a nice piano intro that leads to the core of the song, and then we switch over to more of a symphonic sound that serves as a background over which the rest of the song flows. This one is a bit of a middle of the road track, not a ballad but not a rocker either, just a nice pace that allows the song to flow nicely in support of the vocals. Of course, this is a matter of personal taste; many will prefer the harder sounds, Face Me for instance, which goes in a number of interesting directions.

I guess I’d also point out that EarlyRise does some outstanding ballads, in fact, these may very well be the best songs on the entire CD. Goodbye is one of these; you get a lush symphonic background, solid piano and a truly beautiful song. Hard to get much better than this one. I don’t know much about the production here, who did it or where but they used some pretty good people whoever it was.

Another favorite along the same lines is China. It utilizes a little different pace but you get much of the same beautiful background and outstanding production magic. And again, Lari does some fine work with the lyrics, which take us in a little different direction:

I wouldn’t argue that EarlyRise is at their best when they combine multiple approaches, using a ballad format to deliver a harder number. Junkie fits this description, it’s a lovely song but one where the guitars are utilized to emphasize the music. It’s a hard song, a hard message and maybe that’s the best way to deliver it. Nice use of the symphonics to support those guitars and, again, very nice production. Lyrically, we get an emotional statement on a relevant topic:

EarlyRise gives us 13 pretty good songs, and especially good for a freshman effort. Strong instrumental work, nice vocals, fine technical work behind the scenes and some nice lyrics. And anyone who can impress most of the staff at SC can’t be all that bad. I suspect we’re going to hear a lot more from this band, and you can’t go far wrong picking up this effort either. Nice work from a group with a big future.

9 / 10

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