Nick Motil is a young, up-and-coming artist that has toured with the likes of Jason Mraz among others is putting out a good, strong sound in the Everything's Alright EP he released on April 15, 2008.
Motil recently visited Utah State University to showcase his talents at the Big Blue Ball, the USU formal spring dance, and also to host the Robins awards, the most prestigious annual awards ceremony for students, staff, and faculty of Utah State University. Motil did an excellent job and also helped out Fusion HD3, the USU student radio station, in the process by generously donating his EP and some promo work in return for some publicity. I'm happy to oblige.
I've reviewed this EP once already on Fusion HD3. The station streams online, and you can get it at http://www.radio.usu.edu. My show, the GRIF show, just finished its last broadcast for the spring semester of 2009 and will return to the airwaves when school starts again this fall. You can check out the blog at grifshow.blogspot.com for regular album reviews and updates about what's going down with the show.
The first thing that caught my attention when I heard about Motil was that he has toured with Mraz. I LOVE Mraz's music. I'm a Mraz junkie. So, naturally, I thought anyone that has toured with him can't be horrible, and I was absolutely right.
As an individual, Motil is cordial, forthcoming, and he certainly knows how to bust a good joke every now and again. His humor brought a wonderfully light atmosphere to the Robins awards, and his live music kept USU students and alums alike dancing the night away.
The Everything's Alright EP, by no means, is the debut effort for Motil. He has released three studio albums to this point over the last four years. His debut album was released in 2004, and Motil has released a strong album every year since then. Indeed, it can be said that Motil has enjoyed a lot of success, especially while touring with Mraz, where according to CDBaby.com he sold over 5,000 CDs.
Motil's sytle is unique, very similar James Taylor in his hey-day. His sound, which employs strong guitar progressions and scaling vocals, generates an upbeat feeling in all those who listen. His lyrical style is also cross-genre. It could be argued that Motil is a country artist, although his guitar style and the absence of violins would tell listeners the opposite of him. Motil's voice is silky smooth - his music is the perfect complement to the weekend get together with family, the occasional barbecue, and road trip. Also, Motil's lyrics do something that very few superstars of the music world do today - they tell a story. Motil's lyrics mean something, and in a day and age where "I Kissed a Girl" can sit on the top of the charts for three straight months, I find that refreshing.
Motil's music is anything but repetitive. Indeed, this may be one of Motil's strongest points, in my opinion, but it could also be what may be holding him back from super-stardom. Motil's music, although very strong, lacks one thing above all else - a convincing and strong hook that sticks in the mind of the listener after the song is over. The strongest of Motil's various attempts at this would be in the first track, "Try Harder," but the hook comes at an odd place that ends up being a slight drawback. That having been said, if this is Motil's biggest challenge, he's definitely got a bright future ahead of him.
Here's a quick rundown of the tracks of the EP for your consideration.
The first track of the EP, "Try Harder" is excellent. By far, the strength of this track is in its lyrics. Some of lyrics from the lullaby "Momma's gonna buy you a mocking bird..." set to an upbeat and progressive melody and provide a optimism to the romantic theme in the excellent lyrics. Motil did well in this track, which is by far the best of the EP.
Track number two, "Butterflies," continues the romantic theme established in the first. The tempo is much slower, and the melody slides quite a bit more. This song reminds me of James Taylor a lot, perhaps more than track five, "Either Way," which sounds a lot like Taylor. It creates a very relaxing ambient that is very difficult to dislike.
The third track, "Everything's Alright," is a step back in some areas and a leap ahead in others. If Motil tried to create a hook in any of his songs, it was in this one. Motil even succeeds in the sense that it's very easy to remember and quite catchy, but not so much that I find myself thinking, "Dang, that was awesome." However, it is a good attempt, and Motil deserves recognition for it. The biggest drawback is the lack of a strong progression. The song is a bit too circular for my taste. This song also constitutes what I would consider to be the peak in the album. The tracks prior to it build up to this track, and the tracks after slide away from it. It fulfills it's roll decently. Had it been me, I would have placed this track at the end of the EP. It would fit better in that position.
The fourth and fifth tracks, "Cliche" and "Either Way," balance the EP. As previously mentioned, "Either Way" is very Taylor-esque. Some would say that this is a bad thing, but not me. I appreciate Motil's gentle progression and stong lyrics. He is at his best when he is himself, which is exactly what Motil portrays in these two tracks, a strong but gentle musician with a link to everything that really matters in life.
The last track of the EP, "Home" is also very good. It should be the track to take either the opening position or the climax position of the EP, however. The tempo is upbeat and forward, and the harmony in this song that Motil's female counterpart, whoever she is (I don't know who it is. Nick, tell me that girl's name!) completes the song. It, along with "Try Harder" constitute the meat of this EP, and should be showcased as such.
I normally don't grade EP's because they are super common and usually not of the quality that would warrant such close scrutiny, but I believe that this one warrants it. I give this one a strong B+. If Motil continues to produce, you'll be hearing a lot more about him in the future.
Special Thanks to Nick Motil for the sound byte and for the EP. USU loves you, man!
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