Dolly Rappaport

Dolly Rappaport glides gently through a Bay Area studio and perches on the bench before her grand piano. After a moment of reflection, she nods to her husband, Mitch Rappaport, who stands behind the glass window of the engineering booth. After adjusting her headphones, she smiles and prepares to lay the first tracks for another song. Dolly has a lot of work to do. She's already recorded more than a 100 songs, but there exist nearly 100 additional songs that she and her husband have written that remain yet unrecorded.

Soon her hands are expertly moving across the keyboard as chords emerge and are dutifully recorded. Singing out in her clear, lovely voice, Dolly starts to knock out another pop gem.

"The Bay Area community of artists and performers is a pretty close knit group," remarks Mitch to our question about how Santana and Tower of Power musicians had happened to guest on the recording of the song "Pendulum." Indeed, the Bay Area has long been famous for producing quality pop and rock music. Could Dolly Rappaport be the next star to issue from the recording studios of "The City by the Bay?"

Rappaport has a wealthy background as a musician. A classically trained and award winning pianist, she turned from "serious" music to the world of pop. Gifted on sax as well as piano, her compositions often feature both instruments giving her music a unique signature sound.

Her husband and song writing partner also lends a hand: he performs most of the bass and guitar sections of each Dolly song. Together they form a team with one central goal always in mind: to increase Dolly's audience. They aren't the only ones trying to spread the word about Dolly: a vibrant Dolly Rappaport fan club already exists.

Dolly embraces the classic pop sounds of a Carole King, Elton John, and Billy Joel but such comparisons are ultimately misleading. Dolly Rappaport stands alone as a unique talent.

The Internet has allowed thousands of artists to find audiences, but Rappaport stands out as one of the very few Internet artists who actually deserves the attention of a major label. Her latest CD, Dark Blue, is a marvel of pop music. Dolly could become the new Queen of Pop if somebody would wake up and toss a recording deal her way.

Dolly continues to sing, as the sound recording equipment captures her voice...

Cinderella wants to play
King Arthur wants to play
The evil sisters are looking good
They want to rock around the clock
I think the knights are all in shock
But they'd party, I know they would

Is it all just window dressing
Just dress up and pretend
Fancy this and fancy that
Again and again and again...

Soon, she will lay the final tracks to "Am I Dreamin'" and move on to another Rappaport original. Dolly's music is waiting for you to discover. Give her a listen, won't you? Such talent should be enjoyed, talked about with friends, and supported. Dolly Rappaport is gifted, but it is you, the listener, who ultimately will be rewarded.

- Rod Underhill

While not dissimilar to the work of female singer songwriters in the tradition of Tori Amos, Sarah McLachlan, Paula Cole etc, etc. The saxophone playing and jazz overtones take this effort to another place and arguably another level musically. - Soutnernx

If you describe a person using a rough frame like this one, they’ll quickly appear very hard, cold and impersonal. But the songs Dolly Rappaport writes and sings are the complete opposite. If you listen to the tracks of this artist, you immediately think of attributes like tender, soft, mild and lovely, almost retentively beautiful. And what has almost been radically labelled as Soft Rock or Love Song, can neither be described not does it fit in any category.

The songs’ harmonies, arrangements and lyrics seem to be reflecting the soul and feelings of this artist in such exceptional manner, which can hardly be found nowadays. It comes as no surprise that, when asked how she first got into music, she answers: ‘ It was born inside me and had already played in my heart and soul.’
- Besonic

Industry Review of "Am I Dreaming"

Music:
I really like this song. The melody and structure is brilliant. I particularly am attracted to the simplicity of the track,it could be one of half a dozen already successful songs in the charts at the moment. 9

Lyrics:
I would find it very difficult to criticize this composer. The words are mature,intelligent and charming. They flow perfectly with the song, what more can I say? Except that this is the first time I have ever given a ten for any category. 10

Arrangement &
Production:
I have given N/A only there is no Arrangement/Production here, only Piano and voice.

Lead Vocal:
Lead vocal is fantastic, she has everything a female artiste needs, soul, tone, feel, Another ten ! 10

Originality:
Although I've heard this kind of music before, I'm inclined to believe that this artiste has the making of being very successful especially if she is also the song writer. 8

Marketability:
Very strong, If she has a manager who believes in her I'm sure she will make it. 10

General Comments:
I feel so strongly that this artiste will eventually make a name for herself. I would like to hear more material though, any chance? Please let me know. Good luck !! Average Score
9.4 - member of the Industry review board

Industry Review of "My Heart Belongs to You" (Wedding Song)
featuring a vocal duet with Tony Lindsay (lead singer for Santana)
Music:
A simple piano vocal always hit's home with a publisher's ear, provided that you deliver the necessary goods, lyric & melody. Thanks for the delivery! Clearly, you're on a mission to create the next weddding standard, and with a little more on the production end, a little ear candy etc., you're well on your way to achieving that goal. 8

Lyrics:
Sometimes there is no other way to say it than just saying it! These words cut straight to the point with genuine, heartfelt intent. The only thing you may need to be concious of is the possibility that many people will want to use them as their wedding vows! Sounds like a licensing / copyright nightmare to me! Great job. 8

Arrangement &
Production:
Again, a straight forward A-B-A-B-C-B approach to the arrangement works wonders here. The blend between the vocals is fine, and the piano is mixed within the layer perfectly. Also, even with as little as there is going on in the mix, you managed to not only get it right, but fill the space sufficiently. Good job. 8

Lead Vocal:
If you are going to do a duet, the first thing you want to make sure of is that you have two strong vocalist's. You are. Secondly, you play off of and harmonize with one another seemlessly, and your voices compliment each other well. Personally, the contrast bwtween the full tone of the male vocal and the lighter breathier tone of the female vocal doesn't work as well for me as would a more belting female take. Even though it is a ballad, as a duet, you should join characters with an equal call and answer force be it breathy or full force. 9

Musicianship:
The decision to accompany with a piano alone was a wise one, and quite tastefully performed if I might add. All melodic, harmonic, phrasing, and rhythmic elements are well composed and executed. Of course, one can hear all of the extended arrangement possibilities like string's, light percussion etc., but this version stands solid on it's own ground. Good work. 8

Originality:
I don''t think originality was the primary concern in the creation of this song. Clearly, you''ve tapped from the basic roosty soul, blues, gospel, and R&B musical forms to get the song''s point accross, and rightly so. However, don''t let that take away from the possibility of this song, if placed into the right hands, becoming a ballad standard. 7

Marketability:
This simple piano vocal duet serves a multi- purpose. You can actually release it as a single as is, or fully produce it into a masterpiece. The possibilities for placement are endless. From the obvious romantic / drama film soundtrack, to extended publishing and licensing interests, this song has no limit to how much it could accomplish. 10

General Comments:
In this writers opinion, this particular song is among the strongest that you've submitted. Keep on creating this high level of musical art, and you will no doubt reap the rewards of your efforts. You are a gifted, talented artist's, and we appreciate the opportunity to review your work. Average Score
8.286 - member of the Industry review board

Dolly Rappaport is the total package. I was enchanted from start to finish with her song “Hold Me Closer”, a song that would most definitely stand the test of time. It reminds me of old Phil Collins with a twist of Sarah McLachlan. Warm, gentile, and beautiful are the words that come to mind.

This is the first review I have ever done where I don’t have a single negative comment. Structure, sound, lyrics - it is a perfect package. As soon as the piano begins you are torn from reality and brought to a world where it feels as though you are the only person in a concert hall, standing directly in front of Dolly Rappaport while she performs this song to you. This song touches your mind, heart, and soul. It takes you back to a time when musicians didn’t care how cool they were or how much money a song will make them. This song was poured from a heart and molded into sound.

I usually reserve a spot for criticism but this song needs none. All I can do is ask Dolly Rappaport to continue writing songs and performing them at the caliber she is now. This song is probably the best song I have ever reviewed and the score will definitely show it. Thank you Dolly.

Keep it real and true to yourself
-Bill Owlen
- Bill Owlen

Multi Talented was the first phrase to cross my mind about this particular set-up of Dolly and hubby Mitch Rappaport. The page suggests that they jointly put these very complex, excellently produced works together. Dolly claims responsibility for vocals, sax, and piano, of which there is plenty of evidence that both are played to a high degree of skill, and virtuosity; with Dolly’s voice sliding in and out in the truest of bluesey styles.

It is rare that you hear works that are so complete from the initial Hammond organ intro, through to the funky Bass, and drum line, with a cracking vocal thrown in for good measure.

Hubby Mitch is responsible for the bass and guitar elements of the tune. Although these are very much a background feel, with the bass underpinning the whaling sax, which rolls through the tune, working in unison with Dolly’s excellent voice. She is both clear, and concise. In a nutshell she can sing, delivering a very funky jazz/blues vocal line to die for. The lyrics, written by both Dolly and Mitch, are well constructed and are just about the icing on the cake!

Yes, you could say that’s impressive enough on its own, but the engineering, mixing, and overall feel is slick, professional, and practiced, as this type of work should be. That’s the rub, its all finely produced on a firmly, tried and trusted formula that has been working for years, and is today as popular as it was way back then.

That’s not to say you shouldn’t use it, just be aware that well established genres have a cult following and are rarely seen outside of that following, unfortunately this affects the staying power of new material and original work such as this.

I'm also afraid too, that this is one of those groups that will probably slip through the recording contract net. Record companies won't support true musicians these days, as they are no longer an easily marketable product, preferring to invest their pennies in the boy band, and Dance orientated groups that dominate our charts. Very simply only having to pay engineers for producing the tunes, and the performers to lip sync is a lot cheaper than sending bands on the road.

(I really hope I’m proved wrong on that score though!)

True talent often has the knack of rising to the top, so check this tune, and ponder why good musicianship isn’t a requirement of music these days … then buy the album, which I haven’t heard, but I bet it rocks!
- Plusspro