Iona James & Clint Slate - The Doubter's Dance (EP)
One of the things music does is that it connects like-minded people. Sometimes, the connections are unexpected. And the greatest art is born from nowhere. Isn't that just what musicians do in general, creating something from nothing? Perfect example of this unexpected collaboration are French artist Clint Slate and Scottish singer/songwriter Iona James. Iona, a nurse by profession, realized her long-time music dream by releasing her debut single "To The Moon" in January of last year.
She joined the Army, trained as a nurse but the music was her constant companion, she kept writing songs and after a conversation with her father-in-law she followed her heart and booked a songwriting course.It was there the flame was ignited and the desire to release songs grew stronger. Songwriting was an escape for Iona from working as a nurse during the pandemic, from the sadness and despair she saw around.
Songwriter and multiinstrumentalist Gregg Michel created Clint Slate in 2015. He works on multiple projects, concept album with a focus to a progress rock, becoming a metal singer for a former drummer of Shakin Street, Bono for a U2 tribute or rock'n'roll clown for Les Franglaises. The pandemic puts a stop to these projects. After meeting Iona James their artistic worlds collide and the EP is just the start of what looks like a promising collaboration. Their first EP called The Silent Sea was released in June 2021. It showed the creativity knows no borders, no boundaries and the power of music. The second EP was just the matter of time and now the result, called The Doubter's Dance, is here.
As before, Iona James' vocal dominates, in a different way, on each song.
Firefly beings with an atmospheric intro with the eletric guitar leading the way and bringing the image of nighly landscape into our minds. Iona James'ethereal vocal only solidifies this picture in the listener's mind's eye.
Enough changes the mood into more experimental, especially when Clint Slate's vocal comes in and starts rapping the lyrics in a confident and quite urgent way. Iona James softens the edges and the mood with her warm and fairy-like sounds. She takes the entire song into a different and more pleasant direction. The two voices blend nicely and effortlessly.
Summer is quiet and gentle track with a simple guitar arrangement. This duet has a hint of romance but just the right amount. There's sense of sadness of summer being over and maybe the romance alike. And the longing for both to last longer.
Closing track on the EP, Shot in the Dark, starts with some eletronic sounds, setting up the mood for another atmospheric track. A synth-driven piece letting Iona James'vocal soothe the overall vibe.
This is the second part of the trilogy of EPs the artistic team put together. The third paet will see the light of day in January 2022.