Is this a folk record? Or perhaps another CD by a Singer Songwriter with a bit of Americana cleverly interspersed throughout? Does the genre matter? In this case, an emphatic no.
Folk is ever evolving and in the hands of a singer songwriter, such as Shane Papatolicas, it is taken to new heights and what a musical journey it is.
Shane has released previous CDs both here and back in his homeland of the USA; this time not only is there a biting reality to his lyrics, but a musical collage we can all be carried away by and the opening track, Inside Out, has a sense of urgency about it with its rock intro gently moulding into a folk based number which would sit very comfortably in Cat Stevens’ repertoire. Despite there being various nods to other artists, Shane is his own person and any semblance to other artists is solely the same as any other performer and he is fully in charge of his own lyrics and melodies.
Protest songs work best when they are subtle and interwoven with other distractions, as the listener then catches the gist of such lyrics in his/her own time. Something That Might Have Happened is the musical epitome of this and is not a gloomy in your face song by any means, but it does hold the thoughts of many of us to which we can easily relate: Half the world is dying, half the world is dead. Does it need to get any clearer than this? There is no proselytising or preaching here, just factual lyrics mixed in with everyday thoughts. Clever. All of this with an appealingly simple musical backing gives this track its inner strength.
The title track, Broken Lines, carries its own wisdom within it and Shane’s outlook on life shows a journey well-trod: I let you go and you let me down, I make an excuse and you beg me to stay. With lyrics such as these, the album flows through from track to track, almost like a seasonal trek through a musical wonderworld.
Is this a concept album? Well, yes and no; there are links between all the tracks, as Shane cleverly carries the subject matter over from track to track without saturating one. This gives the album, BROKEN LINES, a fresh definition and by listening to it an insight to a mature and personal outlook on life and all its complexities. This is an album to listen to, to chill to, to learn from and to purchase.
Tony Bates
Uncut and Unsigned
www.3MDR.com    

Seraya never ceases to amaze and with the release of ANYTIME, one is immediately drawn into new musical perspectives as so cleverly conceived by her.
Any similarity to previous works finishes with the opening chord (and what a statement that is) of Destiny and Seraya is all set to take us on yet another musical journey to a destiny of our choosing; I say yet another, as each and every album from Seraya has different counterpoints and musical differences that draw one on board, as an aural passenger, to one’s ultimate destination.
With that slightly sensual sultriness, Seraya takes us on an organic musical ride through the second track on the album and who better could sing those words ‘Gonna rise above your hotel love’, in fact, who else could have written such lyrics? Seraya has always used her literary skills to make her writing that bit more personal, insightful and exciting and when that is coupled with a great musical manuscript, we are all winners. The mix of organ, percussion and guitar with Seraya’s vocals on this track carry it to another dimension and show that she is a voice for all ages, all seasons and all people.
Peace, Love and Understanding is far from an understatement and is a (dance) track for our times, which shows Seraya's versatility at work as only she can do; who would (and could) take a serious topic and turn it into a dance track without losing the message? Few others, I can assure you. This is an important track and yet also the wild card on the album, but it sits comfortably and intelligently here  amongst the other tracks.
With some clever keyboard playing accompanied, not only by Seraya’s vocals, but by some tight string and vocal harmonies, Beautiful Mess is almost anthemic but just holds back from being so, thus making it far more personal and almost visual for all of us, no matter our age or gender.
ANYTIME portrays Seraya at her glorious best and shows that she is not held hostage to the past; this is all part of a musical sojourn that we are pleasantly drawn into and onto by Seraya. May the journey continue………….
 
Tony Bates
Uncut and Unsigned
www.3MDR.com