Dennis Sy

The track “SHINE ON” is the collaborative effort of hip-hop emcee and producer, Darick DDS Spears, the jazz-pop singer-songwriter, Natalie Jean, and award-winning pop-rock artist, Dennis Sy. That we’re dealing with a quality crew is clear from the outset. Dennis is a Grammy member, Natalie has made the Grammy ballot twice and Spears has just had one of his songs nominated for the Global Peace Award in Hop-hop.

SHINE-ON-CoverTogether these three acclaimed and lauded artists deliver us a song that’s meant to enlighten, uplift and unite our spirits in a crusade against division and differences of any discriminating kind. The song itself evokes numerous emotions and thoughts right from the very first verse:

“Give me a second to catch my wind
Where do I begin?
Some say it’s a sin because of my skin.
Some say it’s us men who need to repent.
Showing hatred towards one another with no conviction.
Just listen!
I’m tired of these divisions…”

It’s all urban pop perfection, with the sound of an inescapable potential hit that doesn’t get boring, no matter how often you hit the repeat button. Lyrically serious, the track comes accompanied by a frothy bubbling and bouncy soundtrack and the feeling that all might just be all right with the world, if only for a few minutes of dazzlingly executed song craft like this. Listen, learn and love, it’s quite simple if you just follow the chorus instructions:

“Shine on…Shine Through
Gotta give a little bit of you
For a better world & a better day
You know it’s true
When it all comes down to you
The time is now for us to change”

The question is, can we or will we? Music can only help to induce us into doing something, but WE actually need to do it. Darick DDS Spears, Natalie Jean and Dennis Sy lay it on the line with brilliantly infectious verses and choruses. The production is augmented by an organically driven acoustic beat, which helps give the song a cool groove that segues seamlessly into soulful choral chants providing most of the melodic and uplifting moments.

“SHINE ON” has the potential to please a wide range of pop and hip-hop fans. It’s a very catchy tune and it transcends a few different genres, so maybe people will be more open to it. The key of course is in the song’s musical reiteration and the conscious nature of its lyrics. The three oscillating performing styles by Darick DDS Spears, Natalie Jean and Dennis Sy add just enough interesting sparks to light the proverbial musical fire and build an appealing group identity that almost anyone can relate to. - Jamsphere Magazine

Optimistic to its very core, Dennis Sy’s “Shine On” is a song of pure hope. Featuring the undeniable talent of Natalie Jean and Darick Spears, the song’s spirit soars to the sky. Effortlessly blending together elements of rock and jazz into a poppy whole the entire song radiates warmth. By far the highlight of the piece is the strong positive message via the poetic lovely lyricism. Simply brilliant the song’s structure offers up a nice sense of play as the flexibility of the piece allows it to possess a great number of twists and turns. This is a song that demands to be played as loud as possible for it is a song of celebration.

Wasting no time at all Dennis Sy swings into the mix of things. A carefully crafted groove leads the way as a glistening organ weaves its way in and out of the busy mix. Staying true to the song’s sense of power the piece unfolds with a sense of confidence. Guitar work taps into a western twang as it explores the spaciousness of the sound. The attention to detail is particularly fine as Dennis Sy lets the song start and stop on a dime. Powerful vocals lead the way further emphasizing the forward-looking nature of the piece. Towards the end of the song everything comes together into a brilliant display of color.

Strong and sunny, Dennis Sy’s “Shine On” is an immaculate piece of pop with a timeless message of inner strength.

http://www.DSYMusic.com

By Beach Sloth - Skope Magazine

The song “Shine On” delivers its message in a refreshingly upbeat manner. It’s performed by Darick DDS Spears, Natalie Jean, and Dennis Sy, an unlikely trio, with each coming from different musical backgrounds. They bring it together to create a positive sound which mixes light hip hop with elements of jazz and with a bit of Caribbean flavor. It reminds me somewhat of late 90′s pop classics like Vitamin C’s “Smile,” only with more substantive content. The song conveys its subject matter in a unifying and friendship seeking tone, which should allow listeners to be more receptive rather than feel instantly alienated the way they would with less tactfully presented material. The performers all balance each other very well, and nothing seems out of place. Musically, “Shine On” hooks you in right away with it’s funky and festive intro and is never boring. The only downside to this jam is that it’s just a single. It’s a good one though.


https://soundcloud.com/dsymusic/shine-on-with-dennis-sy-featuring-natalie-jean-and-darick-spears

Dennis Sy: http://www.dsymusic.com/
Natalie Jean: http://www.natalie-jean.com/
Darick DDS Spears: http://www.darickspears.com/ - StepKid Magazine

Dennis Sy – “Shine On” Featuring Natalie Jean & Darick DDS Spears – Single Review

It’d be hard not to appreciate the passionate power of enthusiasm in the pop-melody of “Shine On” – it certainly radiates an inspiring amount of positivity in its combination of message and music. Enlisting some excellent assistance to bring his vision to fruition, singer/songwriter Dennis Sy has the support of singer Natalie Jean & the hip-hop vocals of Darick DDS Spears appearing on “Shine On” – and together these three have made a song that is pretty much guaranteed to stick in your head for weeks on end.

It’s also definitely worth mentioning, that “Shine On” is being considered for the 59th annual Recording Academy Awards…that’ll give you a solid indication of the level of songwriting you’ll find in the composition of this new single…it’s top-shelf stuff for sure. When you hear the hooks of “Shine On” you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about; it really is the kind of melody that never leaves you once you’ve heard it…highly memorable and completely catchy.

Musically I thought the song was bang-on the entire way through…”Shine On” is delivered with a high-level of execution and professionalism while still being informative and fun all at the same time. I had a few slight issues with the vocals of Sy as I adjusted to his sound/style at the very beginning of when he takes the verse, but I felt like he really warmed-up throughout the song and consistently raised his performance up from the first moments onward. Spears sounds spectacular and lends some incredible energy to this entire song with multiple-parts that are delivered right on the money with precision-timing and real passion in his tone. Natalie Jean remains in the background for the most-part, but sounds solid every time you hear her…and the combined sound of the vocalists together in the chorus nail a tough part to sing with real heart and emotion. These three definitely sound great when they’re right there together with each other in the chorus…a real collaborative effort that really works well.

What I do really believe…is that songwriting remains the star of this song from beginning to end. As strong as the performances are – it’s impossible to deny that lyrically, musically and creatively this is all a part of one really great idea overall…”Shine On” is truly solid song and bulletproof in its structure, composition and twists and turns in the music’s writing. Between the uplifting messages of change in the lyrics and the brightness of the execution…you really can’t help but find a part of you that ends up connecting to this super-shiny pop rhythm.

Musically-speaking, I can certainly understand the positive support this song is already receiving online – the drums, bass, piano, guitars…it all works so incredibly well together that it’d be impossible to ignore. You can feel the magic of the moment on “Shine On” and how it builds and evolves as the bright-energy, positive-vibes and inspiring lyrics grow and expand as the song plays. The sentiment is certainly a beautiful one…clearly these are three people united in their belief of a better tomorrow. “Shine On” has a decided point of view…it’s certainly a sunny one, but that’s a tone, texture and atmosphere people truly do appreciate beaming through their stereos. The potential audience for “Shine On” is widespread and the opportunities that exist for a song like this to be featured in numerous parts of the music-industry from commercial awareness-ads to soundtracks are pretty much potentially limitless. There’s a reason that strong writing and inspired sounds like this get considered for awards – they’ve done a great job here and all three of these vocalists take a turn shining beautifully in the spotlight and glowing warmth of one of the friendliest and most-inviting songs you’ll hear this year.

Find out more about Dennis Sy and his music through the official site at: http://dsymusic.com - Sleepingbag Studios