human brother

Hu-manilectro. That’s what JD Shultz calls his art, his music, and his contribution to making his world, and OUR world, a better place. This multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer and songwriter has created something that is wholly unlike the super vanilla soft alternative that pours out of speakers all over the world.

Shultz coined the term Hu-manilectro to put a name to the smooth melodies and rhythmic beats that are currently pleasing the ears of anyone fortunate enough to be able to listen to them. A refreshing blend of electronica, alternative, soul and pure talent, the album Vision Days on the Life Ride starts with the track “Floor on Fire” and it is immediately intriguing. The sound is crystal clear and extremely clean. From the opening notes of this album, it’s an attention grabber with the power to make people stop everything they’re doing and really listen. There are very few artists who can combine so many different and diverse elements into such a pleasing blend of perfection.

The sound is smooth, the vibe is funky, and JD Shultz adds his own unique flair to each song to make it all his own. The track “You Are Everything” is a perfect example of this. It has a bit of a hip hop beat, coupled with darkly seductive lyrics and what is quickly becoming known as Shultz’s own Organitronic. He gives it his own twist by adding an Egyptian-sounding guitar riff every now and then. Most artists would never be able to pull this off in the context of this song, but Shultz can.

“The Lucky Ones” has more of a rock flavor with a contagious guitar riff and Shultz keeps the soul coming with a slick bass line. His vocals in this piece are what really carry it and the lyrics are haunting. Shultz makes them even more so by adding several layers of vocals and changing up the delivery. The guitar work in this song is stellar and “The Lucky Ones” embodies much of what Human Brother is all about.

“Drown” takes Shultz’s music to another level. This is a more aggressive song that has cutting edge lyrics and sounds that seem to defy conventional music of every genre. Human Brother continues to amaze and astound as we are taken on a ride of epic musical proportions. Spectral, astral, and with a vibe that positively screams of sensuality, “Drown” is by far the best cut on the album yet.

The music of Human Brother can not readily be classified into any specific genre because it contains so many various aspects of so many diverse influences. The track “Torture and Grace,” for example, is nightclub material through and through. While most of the songs on the album have an electronic touch to them, this particular track vamps it up to the extreme and it should be played in dance clubs around the globe. In addition to this, there is a bit of an underlying jazz feel to it that would make it equally appealing to listen to at a high end jazz club that specializes in smooth flowing music that makes patrons want to drink fine wine while tapping their feet and swaying in their seats ever so slightly. With the track “Torture and Grace,” Human Brother shows that this is universal music that can be enjoyed by just about everyone.

Closing the album is “Live at Shlembley Stadium” and it’s an excellent choice to end with. It begins slow and then packs a punch. Human Brother sounds just as polished live as they do on the studio tracks and this song has the slightest bit Cure influence in it, evident in the opening guitar riffs. JD Shultz graces us with his unique vocals and “Live at Shlembley Stadium” leaves one with the sensation that Human Brother has only just begun. The possibilities are endless and Hu-manilectro music is on the rise.

JD Shultz has proven that he is a master of his craft with the album Vision Days on the Life Ride. Combining influences from every genre known to the music world, Human Brother cannot be neatly packaged and contained into a single category. It is as unique and diverse as the term Hu-manilectro. If this is any indication of what is to come, the world is about to experience a whole new way of looking at music.

Review by Rhonda Readence
- www.reviewyou.com

JD Shultz is a multi-instrumentalist residing in Los Angeles and has had a long history with independent funk & funk/punk rock bands ever since he was a teenager. His new album is titled Vision Days on the Life Ride and on this new album, JD has slightly strayed away from his funk & punk roots to bring us a record that is full of rock and electronic bliss. JD is also credited as having written, recorded, produced and performed everything on every track (except a little vocal help from Mirage on the opening track “Floor on Fire”).

As soon as I turn on and tune in to Vision Days on the Life Ride, I immediately feel myself rise and lift out of my chair. Psychedelic & ambient beats swirl around my head and then smooth vocals come in to deliver the first verse. “Here we are, gonna take a chance. Time of your life is fading fast.” The electro beats have definitely got me hooked and then the chorus hits. An instrumental bridge follows and that’s when some funky baselines kick in. What a ride! So many different influences and genres are explored. I wonder what the other Vision Days look like?

A half an hour later and I am happy to report that they look great. I have floated back down to the sitting position in my chair and I’m ready to tell you all about the vision days that I experienced on the life ride. There is so much going on in these songs, ambience, keys, guitars (even some acoustic), synth beats, and vocals. All of this extremely catchy, and extremely well mixed! The production on this album is stellar. I am listening with headphones and I get 360 degrees of full sound. I really love a mix that makes you part of the music. I think that is the future of music, making it a little more physical, and that’s what Vision Days on the Life Ride is bringing us. Something that pleasantly surprised me about this album are little parts here and there that break into a world music styling along with sitars and hollow world influenced beats. I wouldn’t call this an experimental album, but I love to see artists incorporate less popular genres into rock and electronic music stylings. Another pleasant surprise is the dance-ability. Despite multiple genres being portrayed, I think that this is most definitely a rock record, but the electronic tones and structures of this album stand out and make me want to move. The beats per minute are calling my ears and making the rest of my body groove. This is what makes a great album.

Vision Days on the Life Ride is a nice trip for you to take. When you get back, you can thank me… and of course, JD.

Review by Kenn Deaton - www.reviewyou.com

The human is a very complex animal. Aside from the usual cliché tool using metaphors, let’s speak of commonality for a change. All animals share attributes, but two of the most profound are song and dreams. Everything that lives, surely resonates with sound, one way or another, be it of the minutest fashion, say the scraping of a squirming worm, or the most magnificent, booming whale song. Then even the most insomniac amidst us slip into dreams, no matter what the animal. What is pertinent about contrasting the two is just how mysterious they still are to our culture. Human Brother walks the edge of scientific mystery and folklore mythology with transcendental lyrics and electrofunkadelic sound. By creating new musical synergies with synthesizers colliding into classical instrumentals, natural, sometimes howling, vocals sing from the essence of humanity; raw yet focused, wild with purpose, blending harmonies reminiscent of a vibrant rainforest canopy. Vision Days on the Life Ride is the essence currently missing from what’s left of alternative rock: natural experiential truth. “Wake up. You’re not sleeping, but you’re dreaming.”

“Stars Are Ours to Name” is far and away my favorite. It deserves the two versions on the album, one studio cut and another live performance dedicated to Joe Strummer (of The Clash and shortly of The Pogues) “Who’s alive in all of us” evokes JD Shultz, a.k.a. Human Brother. The song has an incredible retro feel that infuses more postmodern alternative drive. The harmonies in the chorus are especially powerful, and this is one of the few albums one finds himself singing along to (while writing, in my case). For the most part, the alterna-rock scene these days is missing the heart and soul of those whom cleared the way through the musical jungle, cutting away at the disco-machines and doo-wop boy/girl bands. Vision Days on the Life Ride is homage to the trailblazers, and even going beyond exploring musical wilderness where some of the best bands of all time left off. Surely, Human Brother deserves all the comparisons and praise they are currently receiving and then some. The variety of both instrumental style, and vocal range is technically impressive and somehow always pleasing to the ear, always funky yet with all the new electro beeps and hums one would expect from ambience, bass and synthesizer provide a beautiful canvas for the seemingly never-ending creativity of Shultz’s vocals and instrumentals so they have lots of room for expression.

One can’t say enough about the harmonic sensibility. Sometimes Human Brother gets very intricate. At one point in “Behind You Now”, the vocals split in three parts, a synth lies on top of it, a wah-wah pedal bends up into perfect resolution, and that’s not even counting the ethnic instrumentals, drums, bass, and possibly more synth layers! This sort of complexity is woven in with such care that it may progress a measure or two, and then we’re back to a more simplistic (yet no less pleasing) verse. It is overwhelming to try and discuss the level of production going on here. Not only is JD Shultz an impeccable artist, but and unbelievable producer. Shultz has enough experience growing up with musical legends, on stage with the pulse of the Hollywood music scene, and now a phenomenal fusion album dubbed a new genre, “Hu-manilectro,” that the up-and-coming artist may be a performing producer capable of greater things still, such as organizing a record label. Similar beginnings that come to mind, though cross-genre, are like the careers of Dr. Dre going from N.W.A. to forming Aftermath, or perhaps like DJ Tiesto going from producer to DJ to forming Black Hole Records in the Netherlands. It seems that the biggest problem for musicians these days in the wake of the collapse of the record industry is cooperation. We are in need of great humble minds that can organize artists in a meaningful way. As Human Brother says in “Step to the Side”, “It’s what you’re dreamin’ of, it’s what I’m afraid of… if we don’t pave the way, prepare us for the fall.” Vision Days of the Life Ride is a spectacular remembrance of what was important about the musical past, but dually and intrepidly, a divine interpretation as history mimics itself this age. Will we have time to step to the side? Will we be able to ride the transcendental? It is only possible if we embrace the natural animalistic, Hu-manilectro, if you will, origins of music and dreams. Creativity for the sake of preserving the beauty of earth; these songs are prophetic and speak in dreams. Human Brother’s poetry has insight that most artists are missing: tribal visionary clarity.

Review by Julian Gorman
- www.reviewyou.com

Artist and musician JD Shultz is a man on a mission. For the 6th consecutive year, he makes his way to the Los Angeles Convention Center – with a gift under his arm. His gift is his art – a 4×6 foot original painting he created for the upcoming 2010 Grammy/MusiCares silent auction. Over the last 5 years, his art has raised nearly $50,000 to help musicians in need.

Aside from the MusiCares Foundation, his endeavors have also raised money and awareness for numerous charitable foundations, including The American Heart Association, The Art of Elysium, and The City of Hope. Shultz is also the current featured artist of TheButterflyEffectFoundation.org.

Local to LA, Shultz spent his youth under the tutelage of his parents, pioneers of the Los Angeles Art Show circuit in the 1970’s. He was given paintbrushes and drumsticks in his early childhood. Now, he stands on the precipice of stardom in the worlds of art and music. Despite selling a few thousand of his own paintings over the last 10 years, JD has managed to keep everything in perspective. “It humbles me that my art has been received so well by so many people”, says Shultz.

His art has been described as “complexity at its most whimsical” – mirroring his own brand of playful and inquisitive genius. Even some of the biggest celebrities have chimed in with their praise. “I love JD’s art. His work is both inspiring and timeless. My entire family enjoys the bright and youthful ambience his art brings to a room”. Actor/musician Will Smith.

The Music

Under the artist name, Human Brother, Shultz just launched his debut album, “Vision Days On The Life Ride”, in tribute to his late mother Carole. The concept behind “Human Brother” is as deep as the man himself. He derives this sonic masterpiece from his electro and alt/funk rock roots to the ethnic sounds from all over the globe. “With all that is going on in the world today, I wanted to establish a connection between everyone”. “Music can be a powerful healer and communicator”. says Shultz.

A true renaissance man, Shultz wore all the hats on this one. He wrote, produced, engineered, played all the instruments and mixed the album himself at his home studio in the Hollywood Hills. The result is a sound unlike anything else in music history.
Exploring multiple genres, “Vision Days On The Life Ride” presents an inviting and universal perspective, covering influences from the past four decades. The album is as soulful and reflective as it is provocative.

Utilizing extremely varied instrumentation, from Turkish violins and hypnotic beats, to rock guitar and African choirs, Shultz weaves together a multitude of sources to sculpt a new sound that stands alone.

Shultz’s vocal stylings has drawn comparisons to giants of the industry: Bono, Robert Smith, David Gahan, Peter Murphy, and Perry Farrell. “Vision Days On The Life Ride” could easily become a benchmark for future artists.

See below for a sampling of the songs of Human Brother from “Vision Days On The Life Ride“, and stay tuned for my upcoming review of this album.

To learn more about this crucially important artist for 2010, go to www.jdshultz.com for his art, and www.humanbrother.com for his music. - www.LAsThePlace.com

While listening to Human Brother’s debut album “Vision Days on the Life Ride”, we may have glimpsed the future of music. Not the future of rock, pop, or electronic, but the convergence of all three. After only a few tracks, it’s clear that when we ask where we’re headed in 2010, Human Brother may have the answer.

William Wordsworth once wrote that “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings… recollected in tranquility.”

If we assume Wordsworth is right, we have to grant that anyone can be an artist. Obviously, almost everyone has the capacity for emotion and reflection. But in the means of their expression, all are not created equal.

Our society demands equality but prizes individuality. We find ourselves torn between poles of conformity and independence – handcuffed by our own aspirations.

The true artist is he who finds the middle ground and expresses it with clarity.

Enter Human Brother – the stage name of emerging Los Angeles-based artist / songwriter / producer / renaissance man JD Shultz. Human Brother’s debut album, “Vision Days on the Life Ride”, dares to be bold, and succeeds stunningly. To the untrained ear, characterizing Human Brother’s sound would be an exercise in futility. He draws inspiration from so many sources that to lump him into one category seems an affront to his sublime genre-bending effort. Shultz calls his creation “Hu-Manitronic”. That may, in fact, be the most fitting description, as “Vision Days” so clearly embodies everything that we should be proud to call human. The pain and joy of everyday existence swirl in a watercolor of sound. Guitar elements and chord progressions are often reminiscent of Northern European and South Asian influences, but still cannot fully encompass the breadth of content that “Vision Days” offers. Each song captures a different feel, featuring hybrid elements ranging from 80’s-style synthpop to uptempo electronic to alt-rock.

The album leads off with “Floor on Fire”, a powerful composition replete with electronic influences and thumping bass. Next up is “Behind You Now”, a song filled with longing for simpler days. Batting third is “You Are Everything”, a united celebration of all things human, featuring Turkish violins and resounding African choirs.

“When Will I”, the most hauntingly beautiful track on “Vision Days”, is naked in its sincerity of emotion. He deals in simple truths on a personal level, and we find comfort in communion with his honesty.

Following “When Will I” is “The Lucky Ones”, a song that reflects on what could have been. “Step to the Side” is a light but provocative electronic piece with a message – greed is the wool pulled over our eyes. “Stars Are Ours to Name” is innocent and playful, in the realm of Neil Young or Beck, but it reveals a deeper vulnerability in the artist. “Torture and Grace” rounds out the first ten tracks with a feel that fuses funk, jazz, and rock.

The word for “poet” in Greek literally means “maker” or “creator”. In “Vision Days”, we find a lyrical quality that ascribes directly to the Greeks’ meaning of poet – Shultz is a creator in the truest sense of the term. He derives originality from the fact that his lyrics are completely devoid of affectation.

Anyone can write down his feelings, but few are so gifted with the ability to express them. “Vision Days on the Life Ride” strips away pretense. What’s left? Purity of sense and of action. The distillation of purpose.

Human Brother is a soul laid bare.

To hear the album and learn more about JD, visit www.humanbrother.com, www.jdshultz.com, www.playpenmusic.com

- Lastheplace.com