A Diamond in the Rough

Written by: Jimmy Wah - Sense Music Media

Since working in and around the music industry over the years I’ve grown to notice a lot of different things. One of those things is how to spot an accomplished musician. Whether it’s the famous frontmen and women who put stars in our eyes, well known band members, local musicians or technicians they all have one thing in common… they’re never a one trick pony. Karly Jewell is no exception. In fact since releasing her latest single Dancing With The Devil with her band in late January, she is already featured on a new single with RAV MEDIC performing vocals that she wrote herself. So let’s get this straight - we’re just over one month into 2021 and Karly Jewell has already been a part of 2 single releases. A force to be reckoned with? I think so. Let’s find out why.

I was introduced to Karly through Sense Music Media’s industry partnership with AMR Australia. For those of you who don’t know, AMR (Australian Musicians Radio) is an online radio station based in Melbourne dedicated to 100% Australian content. Karly joined the crew last year through their weekly segment Heavy Reborn and it became clear to me that she knew what she was doing. Little did I know that aside from arranging interviews and contact with a vast range of musicians, Karly was also musician herself, having played not just local shows but also touring internationally. It wasn’t until she asked me to review her latest single Dancing With The Devil that I began to really have a clue… Why hadn’t I heard of KARLY JEWELL before?

As it turns out Karly has had an instrument in her hands from such a young age you could say it’s in her veins. In fact, her grandfather TONY JEWELL is a renowned singer songwriter of country music who was well-known for his collaborations with the great SLIM DUSTY… so it quite literally is in her veins. This has turned into a lifetime of crafting her own unique sound and exploring a diverse range of genres from electronic and indie-pop to punk, hard rock and metal. Karly has gone from strength to strength over the past 10 years, being nominated for ‘Up & Coming Rock Band’ at the Vegas Rock Magazine Awards in 2014, featuring top 3 on triplej Unearthed dance, electronic and rock charts in 2016/17, and releasing the first album Phoenix with her self-titled band KARLY JEWELL in 2019. Let’s not mention touring the west coast of the US at some of the most iconic international live venues in Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Ok so I’ve established that Karly Jewell is an accomplished musician but what about the music? As any listener knows that the style all depends on the genre that’s being played but with Karly Jewell one thing’s is for certain; whether synth driven electronica, indie-pop or hard hitting rock, Karly has the ability to traverse them all. What gives her that ability isn’t just her great compositional abilities but also her distinctive voice. What makes Karly’s voice so appealing are the influences moulding it’s sound that are effortlessly apparent. When listening to songs like ‘Let You Down’ and ‘September’ featured on the 2019 album Phoenix the first thing that stood out to me were the evocative, broken textures that truncate the phrasing; reminiscent of alternative rock and grunge greats like Jared Leto from 30 SECONDS TO MARS and NIRVANA’s Kurt Cobain. The soft sensibility of Karly’s voice enables it to take on qualities of female vocalists like Gewn Stefani from NO DOUBT and Tobey Torres from SNAKE RIVER CONSPIRACY yet without the pitchy tones that have you reaching to change the station with other artists. When this is combined with great musicianship, hard-hitting rock riffs and Karly’s great composition with baited hooks, listening doesn’t only become enjoyable but addictive.

What about the latest single The Battle from RAV MEDIC? This is a hard-hitting track that has been self-described by Mark Dalbeth as prog meets punk, which at a little over 6 mins I think is a pretty good description. Karly does that awesome thing where she gives you a bit of everything. From fast paced femme-punk tones to freestyle bratty expressions, Karly seems to grapple with our existential reckoning in a way that is counter-intuitive to the confident self assurance. The song then pulls back and opens up into a vast sonic landscape like so many awesome progressive pieces do. Karly’s voice follows, easing into a crystalline tone with a sombre, contemplative energy leving the question hanging in the air; “Pull me under, pull me in, there’s a battle deep within”. The song gradually builds back through the layers of riffage to it’s opening glory where Karly keeps up every step of the way, losing none of her energy but walking that fine line where both her voice and the music support each other.

What I guess I’m doing by breaking down Karly’s vocal and song writing characteristics is giving you an insight into the breadth of musical talents that Karly has at her disposal. Not only does she have bragging rights of her family’s musical pedigree but she also has a bag full of achievements in the industry to back it up. It brings me back to my original point; a good musician creates good music but an accomplished musician is not a one trick pony.

Why are you still reading? Get listening!

Read the review of KARLY JEWELL’s latest single Dancing With The Devil here

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