Review Of: Atlantic Starr – Masterpiece

Okay, this one’s not as popular as the other songs I’ve reviewed lately, but I’ve grown a liking for this one. This is a song which the world (unfortunately) doesn’t know much about, but is still a ‘masterpiece’ in it’s true sense. So what’s the name of the song? I just said it. No, really; I just said it – ‘Masterpiece’. And it’s from a Pop group that didn’t quite make it to the top – Atlantic Starr. Actually, Atlantic Starr did make it to the top of many R&B charts, but the genre of songs people favored in those years was Rock, not R&B; and hence the virtually invisible status of this group. But that’s what we’re here for, right? For knowing the unknown. There are countless other groups out there that produced exceptional music, but never got the chance. And now, we have Miley Cyrus, Ke$ha and what not with their pathetic behavior and antics, hogging the spotlight and Youtube views. Anyways, back to the times when music was actually good!

Atlantic Starr (Band)

History: ‘Masterpiece’ is a R&B song released by Atlantic Starr (with the help of Kenny Nolan) in the Mid 90’s. A single was first released, after which it was re-released as a part of the album ‘Love Crazy‘. It gained some recognition from the public after it’s re-release, resulting in a sudden jump to the Number 3 position on the U.S Billboard Top 100 and the U.S Hot R&B Singles. It also went on to grab Number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks. Not bad, huh? Too bad the song didn’t stay on the charts for long – the world would’ve known what an amazing Pop group it was. There is just one version of this song – The 4 Minutes 53 Second Album Release Version.

Review: The song starts off with a gentle synthesizer vibe, followed by soft background hymns. David Lewis puts things in motion at 00:15, initiating the vocals. His voice, I have to say, is simply outstanding – soft, composed and full of emotion. The way he says ‘touched my heart’ at 00:45 demonstrates the qualities mentioned above. The soft background vocals also add another layer of class to the song. The first chorus begins at approximately 01:10, going all the way till 01:37. The chorus has David singing in a slightly different (higher and slower) pitch than that used in the normal verse. I personally love the chorus for it’s simplicity and efficiency, and the way David Lewis has beautifully crafted each word and presented it to us. The second verse is stitched to the chorus, as the time spacing in between the chorus and the second stanza is virtually null. The second verse is a tad longer than the first one, extending for about 55 seconds; OR it could be that two verses have been merged together (two short 30 second verses). The chorus starts for a second time at 02:34, with minor changes and administrations. At 03:02, a slightly changed verse indicates the start of the third stanza (or rather, a post-chorus, because it’s just 3 lines long), after which the chorus interleaves itself at 03:16, and loops a second time, extending to 03:42. The latter part of the song (03:43 – 04:53) is an interleave of chorus loops and a few vocal notes. The song slowly spirals down and fades off 04:38.

 

Lyrics For ‘Masterpiece’: http://artists.letssingit.com/atlantic-starr-lyrics-masterpiece-24gtk2d#axzz2kdvKH2iG

Download Link For ‘Masterpiece’: http://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_lljuqzSj8c1qaowhxo1.mp3 (Right Click on link, click ‘Save Link/Target As’)

 

‘Masterpiece’ is a song from Atlantic Starr’s album titled ‘Love Crazy’