Reviews

Review of "You'll Rise up Again (For South Africa)":

“This song MUST be heard! I believe this song could be an anthem of hope for all South Africans.” - award-winning songwriter Danny Tate

“ … striking emotional depth … a brilliant introduction to the artist's considerable and artistically conscious body of work. … the intended message of hope and humanity promises to resonate among any person with a pulse!” - Jon Wright, Radio Airplay  (full review below)

"Nicolette Aubourg pours heart and soul into a hymn of cyclic devastation and hopeful restoration in her emotionally resonant original song, "You'll Rise up Again (For South Africa)" - responding to her home country's sudden and violent upheaval through soothing guitar, somber vocal inflections and a lyrical message of temporary grief as it develops into transcendent hope. 

At just over two minutes long, "You'll Rise up Again" wastes no time, greeting the listener with Nicolette's pensive fingerpicking and heartfelt vocals! As she delivers simple and sincere lyrical edifications with striking emotional depth and a rich, resonant tone, the core sound of Nicolette and her guitar create an immediate sense of intimacy - effortlessly drawing listeners into the soundscape and immersing them in the artist's subtle but poignant vibrato.  At 1:31, the song reaches its zenith with the addition of vocal harmonies - brilliantly enriching the harmonic texture and emotional gravity of the moment without disturbing the delicate nature of the song and subject matter.  Really lovely sound and a deeply resonant message! 

As stated in the song's title, "You'll Rise up Again" is by and for the people of South Africa - though the intended message of hope and humanity promises to resonate among any person with a pulse!  Beyond the lyrical content, Nicolette Aubourg's sound stands to capture the hearts and minds of Folk fans from a wide range of backgrounds - with "You'll Rise up Again (For South Africa)" serving as a brilliant introduction to the artist's considerable and artistically conscious body of work."  - Jon Wright, Radio AirPlay

 

Review of "Woodstock (In 5/4)":

“ ... a fantastic cover that acts as both a brilliant tribute and subtle re-imagining of the Joni Mitchell classic.” Andre Avanessian, Radio AirPlay (Full review below) 

"Being able to successfully cover a song in a way that manages to both respect the source material and make it feel unique is no easy feat and is a balancing act that is hard to get right, but I'm glad to say that Nicolette Aubourg strikes this balance very well indeed. Covering the classic Joni Mitchell track "Woodstock", Nicolette interestingly opts for a 5/4 based arrangement that is both daring and deeply inspired. The interesting change in time signature helps give a new perspective of the song as well as inject Nicolette's unique musicality into the piece, the result is a fantastic cover that acts as both a brilliant tribute and subtle re-imagining of the Joni Mitchell classic. 

A successful cover of a song is far more than simply playing the song as it was written, yes, there is a time and place when this works and is needed, however, the most successful covers are the ones that manage to retain the quintessential characteristics of the original whilst infusing enough original ideas into the track in order to create a unique listening experience that is different from the original. Nicolette clearly understands this and has made some very fresh and exciting creative decisions to both shine a different light on the track and help define her own musical identity. Nicolette has smartly stripped back the instrumentation, deciding to opt for a simple yet very effective guitar and vocal combo that helps us focus more attentively on the intimate nature of Nicolette's performance and her highlighting of Joni's masterful lyrical craft. Nicolette's wonderfully understated vocal performance is matched by her equally expressive guitar playing that makes great use of natural harmonics and well-placed percussive elements, it goes without saying that Nicolette has captured the essence of folk beautifully. It also must be said how the bold decision to arrange the track in 5/4 is both truly courageous and rhythmically daring, it's by no means an easy time signature to adhere to, but Nicolette does a marvelous job of keeping everything together, this all results in an accomplished cover that both fans of the original and general folk lovers will surely welcome. 

This is folk through and through, and folk done very well may I add, fans of the genre will certainly appreciate this excellent cover." 

-Andre Avanessian, Radio AirPlay

 

Review of "Madiba, dedication to Nelson Mandela": 

"...This is a very powerful and inspired song... This song reminds me a bit of "Biko" by Peter Gabriel and is not un-coincidentally, also about another South African…."  Jimmy Lloyd - Executive Producer and Host, The Jimmy Lloyd Songwriter Showcase on NBC (via Music XRay ) 

“This is a lovely ode to the legend himself Nelson Mandela – beautifully original, meaningful and thought-provoking lyrics over a very well-produced musical set.  Stunning vocals, piano, drums and percussion take centre stage with acoustic guitars.  The message is deep and the big man himself would be proud!” Wouter Kellerman (“Symphonic Soweto” World Music album)

 

"A MASTERPIECE!!!  The title Track, "Wild Horse Running Free" is a GLOBAL ANTHEM FOR HUMANITY!!! 

THE DEGREE IN WHICH YOU INFUSE COMPASSION INTO EVERY FIBER OF EVERY NOTE IN EACH SONG IS TRULY MAGICAL.

YOU HAVE THE ABILITY TO MAKE THE WORLD FEEL. THIS IS A KEY INGREDIENT TO MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE FOR US ALL."

Alan Weisman, Cavallino Music, May 2017

 

Reviews of "Grand View Drive":

"Love Defined" 

After hearing these songs I realized Nicolette is one of the few people in this world that knows the true definition of the word.

by Laughterror, Amazon review May 28, 2006

 

“Beautiful beautiful music":

I am a caregiver in Pasadena, California, USA. My sister gave me this CD recently when we had a quiet moment together. Now, whenever I come home from a really hard day, I make the house dark, light candles, slip into the bath with a glass of Merlot, and listen to these beautiful beautiful songs as sung by Nicolette Aubourg, as sung by one who has loved well, and often, and deeply.”

A music fan from Pasadena, CA Amazon review 12/11/02

 

“Lovely music, lovely artist, lovely album":

My trainer gave me this album as a birthday gift earlier this year, and I keep telling her how wonderful it is. Thank you, thank you, thank you. She (my trainer) said that Nicolette Aubourg has a hauntingly beautiful voice, and I agree, but to me it is about the songs. They are so right on. I get them. This is the album that was written for me. I love it and highly recommend it to everyone. Nicolette, you go girl!”

Christy from Walnut Creek, CA 12/11/02

 

 “The best new album I have heard all year!

Nicolette Aubourg's Grand View Drive is an outstanding album. Her songs are haunting, well crafted and memorable. She is also a brilliant guitar player, performer and singer. This is the type of album that does not come along very often!! I love it!!”

A music fan from Los Angeles, CA 11/22/02

"One of the reasons I really love this CD is that it affects me both intellectually AND emotionally. And the great thing is that it does both of these without sounding like it's trying to at all. Not many albums can do that."

James Beaton 3/3/03

“I found your music, and lyrics to be even inspirational as I became absorbed in your songs. You being able to write from life's experiences with both humans and animals says something to me about you the person.”

Dave Fibiger 10/13/02

 

“… hauntingly beautiful" reminds me of silver moonlight - gives goosebumps …” Jane Rolfe 10/2/02

 “I have been playing your CD over and over trying to decide which song I like best and all I have succeeded in doing is to confuse myself totally… I love the Cello in the accompaniment and think your guitar work is excellent.”

Grace Reeler 7/20/02

 

“I have found myself playing many of the songs over and over.  They are sometimes soothing, sometimes provocative and many times touch my heart.”

Maria Fibiger 7/8/02

 

“It is beautiful… The arrangements and orchestration are wonderful…”

Jamie Lewis 6/13/02

 

 

Reviews of "Songs from Willow Glen" on iTunes:

"Great acoustic folk" 
by obladida
A very uplifting album considering some of it was written after the passing of her mother. It's very interesting how the losing of a loved one and the end of a relationship can affect you in similar ways, so you're often times not quite sure which person Nicolette is referring to. All that aside, "Craig's List" is a good "pop" song, but my favorite track is "Ode To A Dog".

 

"Even better than the first album!" by The Uncool, 2008

I wasn't in the mood to check out anything new. And I definitely wasn't in the mood to get emotional. But that's just what happened when I popped in Nicolette's latest record. You know I think it proves what I heard Paul Schrader say one time. The most personal thing you write is usually what ends up having the most universal appeal. It's ironic but true. Proof of that is no more clearer than in the opening track "Learning to Live...". I mean it's a very PERSONAL song about getting on with life after a major breakup, but I guarantee everyone can relate to every line in it. I haven't even had a major  break up, but even I find myself relating big time to the concept of doing anything (reading a book, drinking some wine, going on a hike) just to keep my mind off of someone. "Craig's List" is a great song too. First off, what a great hook-y (I know that's not a word), melodic, sing-a-long chorus (actually the whole song is sing a long). And the great thing is, one can take it at face value that the person really has been saved from desperate loneliness by the personals and is genuinely thanking Craig. Or, it could even be a bit of a scathing commentary on the kind of society we are in now. Using "10 year old pics" for our profiles, being so disconnected that it takes a long time to go from e-mail to phone, and we can't even type without making typos! For me, it could be either meaning and that's what makes it great! I'm not going to go on and on about every song..... Oh, wait. "You Don't Care" is another really great song. A pretty brutal and frank song, yet it's dressed up in such great vocals and sweetness that the listener almost forgets that this is about someone feeling that, "I have no power to change your past, your pain, your sadness, your cold heart..." This really great songwriting. "I should have saved myself" is great stuff too. If the title doesn't say it all, how about lines like "...And I hold on to the pain just to be near you" to show the kind emotional mind field we're dealing with here? Emotional mind fields that are dressed up in folky-poppy musical arrangements, insightful songwriting and great vocals. Folks, it doesn't get much better than that.

 

I finally took time out to listen to your

song, - sound, - sorrow, --- soul;

over and over; - (like a teen-ager); - and I

am not sorry I spent the time.........

I am moved by your plaintive honesty,

allowing access to such as me -

so remote - and yet with so much in common -

and craving to share -

artfully - with those we may touch - with

profound concern; conviction;

passion; compassion.............

 

Gratefully;

Ernest R.

Laurel Canyon, Los Angeles