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Fort Lauderdale's own Gilded Lily presents an extremely strong debut effort with Songs From a Life. Though only a mere five songs, all five exhibit the technical ability of Gilded Lily's members exquisitely. This disc also serves to tease of the bright, bright future Gilded Lily will have.
From the first note, the soulful, rich, full-throated voice of Natalie Hibbert is a hook and a half. This woman has complete control of you from the moment you hear her. Everyone who knows me knows I reserve judgement on "chick singers," but Hibbert's vocals are impeccably performed and full of emotion and strength. Backing up Hibbert are three incredibly talented musicians - guitarist Mike Busa, bassist Jason Nitz, and drummer/percussionist Chris Cefola. Having known Busa through his older projects Hocus Pocus and Slyngshot, I was blown away by this display of Busa's softer side. The five tracks on Songs From a Life are mellow, almost bluesy. Busa's guitar skill especially shines on the second track, Life goes on. Gilded Lily's lyrics are poignant and thoughtful, and Hibbert's voice wraps them in dignity. Name, the third track, explores the price of fame: "Nobody knows my name, until they see it up in stars, then everyone wants a piece of your flame."
The total quality of this disc precludes my ability to pick a favorite track. Each of the five shine with exceptional quality. For more information about Gilded Lily, call 954-726-6717 or e-mail buzafer@Yahoo.com - Rock Music Undrground
Discography
5 song demo "Songs From A Life"
8 song CD "Dream Ever Lasting"
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Bio
If you've ever seen Gilded Lily perform you know that they are pure energy, eclectic talent, and artistic innovation on stage, you might say, "This group is about to explode into the industry and leave their own unique mark ". Well, to begin with, the members would tell you that, regardless of how others might label them, Gilded Lily wouldn't define themselves as the next anything; they prefer just being Gilded Lily. A band, a group, a duo at times or what ever.
The Songstress: Gilded Lily's core is comprised of Natalie Hibbert, a very soft-spoken songstress who was born in Middle-sex London, moved to NY, then on to sunny Ft Lauderdale Florida as a young adolescent. Natalie is a conviction-centered person; her strength comes from her beliefs. From her attitude/vibe you know she is serious about music but doesn't take herself too seriously. You can tell by Gilded Lily's song content that she possesses a worldly perspective, a good understanding of humanity, and firm values. Natalie is the free flowing personality with a "let's-have-fun" type attitude, especially where music is involved. When Natalie performs, it becomes her world. You can hear the influences of her favorites in certain songs (Tracy Chapman, Incubus, Sarah McLaughlin) but she exudes her own. To hear her you can tell that she stands behind all that she sings and has entrenched her being, her soul, in those words and you think, Wow! This is so authentic and so meaningful. She must have spent hours coming up with the right words for the right spot in that song. But when you ask her she'll say, "No way!" And then she'll tell you "We came up with that during practice or "we were playing around one day...". The ones with natural talent make it look so easy. The Dude: Speaking of easy, we couldn't go any further than the easy going but intense Mike "Buzafer" Busa, who moved from NY to Ft Lauderdale as a young child. Mike is a pure rock head, you could see having hung out with Black Sabbath in their prime; Mike is the "Just do it!" guy of Gilded Lily. He handles all the grudge work , he shoots the Lily videos, mixes the music, books the shows and produces the music. Now the instant you see Mike you feel his carefree ROCK persona. Buzafer does more than play guitar; every cord and string means something for him in each song. Mike plays like he is making his guitar sing but again he'll also explain, "Nah, we just get together and work and most of the time we don't go in with ideas, we create off of one another's mood and instinct." Natalie and Mike found each other at a warehouse party for Mike's former band. Natalie (who was also in her own band at the time) volunteered to join in on a spontaneous session at the party. There began the development of mutual respect for one another's talents and a strong and enduring friendship whose foundation was based on their mutual love for and commitment to music. A few years later they formed Gilded Lily. Gilded Lily offers the promise of being unlike anything you've seen before and captivating you in a way that revolutionizes your appreciation for music. FOR MORE INFO CALL: 954-726-6717 OR BUZAFER@YAHOO.COM
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