D'nae has a new album called I Am Your Guitar, and her first single is "What You Do to Me." She is the antidote to all the in-your-face music that is slammed at you at a hundred miles an hour every day. She invites you in gently, and holds you there while you remember what songs are for, what music used to do for you, and why you keep searching for something special. You've found it. Full album at www.dnaemusic.com .
The new album from D'nae takes some chances by offering single-take vocals with no overdubbing.
SourceThe new video from D’nae offers a new take on what music videos should do. She has released a short, two-minute piece that mixes interviews with her new single, “What You Do to Me.” It mostly works.
She spends a little time telling you what her artistic philosophy is, and then spends a little time singing her latest song. The result is a kind of “get to know me” video, and many artists would do well to try this approach. It’s an interesting way to personalize an artist’s relationship with her fan base.
The album she is promoting, I Am Your Guitar, consistently offers much of the outlook she features in her video: optimism about love, faith in life, and somewhere between the lines, a “stop and smell the roses” feel.
Shot mostly on Roosevelt Island, with contrasting scenes shot in New York City, the video juxtaposes a black and white herky jerky city feel in the verse with the full-color island haven where D’nae sings the chorus.
The script is short, so that it doesn’t become preachy. The song snippets are a bit of a tease, and interested listeners will insist on following her link at the end of the video to hear more of the music. Still, the approach may draw in a new audience that just wants a taste before taking a full bite.
D’nae actually hails from Hawaii, but now makes New York her home. She has publicized some of the trauma and drama of her early life in promoting this album, and the contrast of the music with her story may well grab people who like the kind of “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” stories they find on Oprah or in Chicken Soup for the Soul books. There is enough gritty reality for the more hardened listener, and the album avoids being overly sweet or cloyed.
A quick word about the production. D’nae takes some chances here, with undubbed vocals and no tuning effects. She is up to the task. It would be interesting to make such an album a requirement for all new artists, just to make sure singers can actually sing and have mastered their craft. D’nae has.
You can check her out at www.dnaemusic.com