Austrian singer Patricia HILL have a background as a strong contestant in various Austrian incarnations of singer contest shows a few years back, in her case The Voice and Die Große Chance. “Debut” is her debut EP, and was released at the start of 2017.
For those who are aware of what kind of music I have been writing about for the past decade, this production is something of an outlier. I have covered some artists exploring pop music before, but as far as this variety goes I’m something of a stranger as far as reviews go, and ultimately also when it comes to pointing out plausible points of reference.
This EP is, in my ears at least, a purebred case of pop music of the kind that is aimed at radio and discotheque play. The arrangements are sparse, with programmed rhythms, synth bass, piano and synthesizers used to create a simple foundation for the singer’s voice to play upon. Music of the kind I remember from discotheques in my own youth many decades ago, and which have stayed in popularity ever since.
This is clinical music, simple on the ears and the minds, and in this case with lyrics that appears to hone in right towards the younger parts of the teenage audience in general and young teenage girls in particular. Fairly simple and easy to grasp, just like the music.
Patricia Hill is a competent singer, and while one may suspect auto tune to have come into play a few times, that doesn’t take away from the fact that she has a fine voice with good control in general, although in this case it appears that it is the technical rather than emotional aspect of her voice that is explored. The songs themselves, as basic as they are, have been well made and cleverly assembled. Professional is the word that does come to mind here in that context. Not the kind of music that I would describe as inspiring, but I could easily see people dance to this while partying or having this music in their ears while doing workouts. Not music for the intellectual, but then again that is pretty much the case for just about all music of this particular kind.
If easygoing pop music where the highlight is on the lead vocals while the sparse instrumentation mainly serves as a backdrop is your thing, and you tend to enjoy music of this kind flavored with the rhythms and synth bass that makes them equally well suited for radio play and discotheque use, Patricia Hill comes across as an artist that should favor your taste-buds fairly well.
My rating: 60/100
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Track list:
I Know What I Want, It’s Love What I Feel, Strong Like a Hero, Take Me Back, Why Should I
