She kicks off the album with “Trick
Candle,” which begins with a solid dance beat from Patricio Dávila, then kicks
in to become a fun, lively song, driven by Nina’s commanding vocals. “I wait a while/I’ll bring it back/I think I’m
in style/Then again, I am like a child/When I sing.” This is a great track
to get things going. Nina Diaz follows that with “Queen Beats King,” which has
something of a delicious 1980s pop vibe (due mainly to Nina’s work on keys). This
is the song that gives the CD its title, in the line “And the beat is dead.” This tune features some seriously good
lyrics, including these lines that stand out for me each time through: “It was over with one last kiss/One that you’ll
never miss.” And check out these lines: “Trust what you feel/’Cause when you breathe in the silence/You create
your own violence/To turn and kill and kill.” This is one of several
favorites of mine.
“Rebirth” is another favorite.
This powerful song was released in September, and it’s one of the tunes that
cemented my interest in this CD. It’s an incredibly cool tune with a fantastic
vocal performance by Nina Diaz. I can’t get enough of this song, and I’m
guessing I’ll be far from alone on that. “I’m
back from the dead/Like I told you, friend/I will not love you until you are my
enemy.” Patricio Dávila
provides some backing vocals on this one. “Rebirth” is followed by “January 9th,”
which is the first song I heard from this CD, and is the song that got me
really excited about this release. I’m loving it even more now, in large part
because of Nina’s incredible vocal performance, which I find more impressive
each time I hear this song. It’s her voice that really drives this one. “Every time I try to find another place to
stay/Every time I try to look away, I seem to cave/In the back of the mind, in
the back of my mind/Every time I try to look away I scream your name.” On
this track, Nina is joined by Travis Vela on guitar and Emily Booher on cello. And yes, the presence of the cello adds to the
song’s beauty, and helps make it one of the best songs of the year. (Emily Booher
also plays cello on “Dig.”)
“Fall In Love” has a catchy
rhythm and is something of a glorious pop song. “Here I am/I am the voice that plagues you/Although you look the other
way.” I also really like this line: “Last
act, but not the final scene.” “It” is a harder song with a steady beat. I
particularly like the way sometimes Nina’s vocals rise above that beat, and at
other times are almost part of it. “Down” is like punk-dance, and is a whole lot
of fun. On this track, Nina is joined by Travis Vela on guitar, Austin
Valentine on bass, Jorge Gonzalez on drums, Priscilla Iree on keys, and Jaime
Ramirez on keys and backing vocals. “I
know all your secrets/I will push you to the ground/And you say oh, why you
kick me while I’m down.”
“Star” is another powerful and
moving song, with Priscilla Iree again joining on keys. The last listed track
on the CD is “For You,” a pretty song. However, it’s not the last song on the
CD. There is a hidden tune, “Morticians Musician,” which begins at 5:49 on the
track. It begins with some studio banter. The song itself is some playful
doo-wop, with some delightful backing vocals. Nina is clearly having fun with
this one. “Oh, I’m not a fool for writing
songs/I’m just a fool for trying to make you sing along/And I’m not a fool for
writing melody/I’m just a fool for trying to make you see what I see.”
CD Track List
- Trick Candle
- Queen Beats King
- Rebirth
- January 9th
- Fall In Love
- Young Man
- It
- Screaming Without A Sound
- Down
- Dig
- Star
- For You (and Morticians Musician)
The Beat Is Dead is scheduled to be released on October 28, 2016 on
Cosmica Records.
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