Below, is a sampling of quotes pulled from reviews of some of my soundtrack and album projects over the years. The full reviews follow.
“Throughout this extensive, 18 track listening experience, the walls of genre are forcibly knocked to the ground – leaving room for pure creativity and melodic ability. What you get at the centre of it all is songwriting – an artist who writes because that’s all that can be done with this sort of passion and imaginative thinking. The eclecticism is mighty but it’s also really well arranged, you get the gentle before the heavy, the calm before the rhythmic, the light before the dark, and vice-versa. Whenever melancholy peaks its quiet head around the corner, high energy and optimism are sure to follow after – to keep you sane, to keep you entertained. It’s an impressive collection by all accounts, particularly considering the single writing credit. The album feels much more like a collaborative, best of the decade sort of offering.“
“There is an urgency to these tracks. This music feels like it emerged; raw & bleeding; straight from the composer’s heart.”
“The songs featured on this album boast a tantalizing combination of catchy hooks and memorable melodies while putting a strong emphasis on hypnotic and innovative rhythm grooves. Through “Garagio,” Jammes has made a point to stay true to many different inspirations, challenging them all into a very compelling unitary vision.”
“Pay attention. those of y’all who fancy yourselves musicians out there: This is called having your OWN STYLE. [Jammes] is also a performer and songwriter, which is why I think her scores have an emphasis on themes & catchy melodies.”
“Openly inspired by the music that lit up the airwaves throughout the 60s and 70s, Garagio is a project that emerges as the missing link from more than a few Tarantino films. Art Mechanix’ manner of composing and writing to express certain ideas and to lay out a detailed, ambient scene before listeners, is the sort that comes through as totally cinematic and endlessly interesting.“
“The tracks are ripe with experimentation, great textures, and what I like to call ‘Brilliant Accidents.'”
“Throughout the span of 18 songs, this album is a fantastic journey and a well-rounded listening experience.“
“The music from “Roman” shows Luckett truly coming into her own, and the arrangements are more sophisticated and yet more subtle. Not an easy task, I assure you. These are among my favorite works on this CD, and they close the disc with a gloomy, desperate beauty.”
“Art Mechanix is Jammes Luckett, an artist well-known for her work in TV and film. Given this background, it makes sense that this collection of songs feels like a series of a short films – the details and the changing moods, the characters – it all tumbles out in front of you like the stages of a brand new piece of theatre, on opening night.”
“In addition to the outstanding quality of the songwriting, it would be a big oversight not to mention the sheer quality of the mixes. The tone of this release is fat and warm, with a really generous low end that feels cinematic and big, perhaps an influence from Jammes’ soundtrack work? In addition to the big, cinematic tones, the top end of these mixes is silky and smooth, adding impressive definition to this particular release.“
“Simply put, this is a grab bag of great stuff; a wonderful retrospective of a very talented up and coming musician. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to add some beautiful, emotional music to their CD collection.”
“MAY and Other Selected Works” (2006) SOUNDRTRACK COMPILATION Reviews
“MAY and Other Selected Works” CD review originally published by KitleySkrypt.com – 2006
Having scores from 5 different movies is great, giving a taste of the different scores of each. …Since this CD is well over an hour long, there is still enough tracks here to appease my singular appetite. Luckett does have some creepy melodies throughout this CD. One track from MAY, which even features star Angela Bettis on vocals, sounds like something from a 70’s Italian film. Very cool. The brief snippet from her score for Hooper”s THE TOOLBOX MURDERS left me wanting to hear more of it. Over all, while there is a lot of “normal” music for my particlar soundtrack tastes, this is a great sampler of a very talented composer, showing that she can hit any theme style.
“MAY and Other Selected Works” CD review originally published by FearZone.com – 2006
Not many directors seemed brave enough or confident enough in their own film to just allow the score to shut up for a bit. But MAY director Lucky McKee understood; and so did his composer [Jammes] Luckett. The result is one of my favorite film scores of the last 10 years, and now it’s available on CD. The folks at La-La-Land have issued this collection of Ms. Luckett’s soundtrack work, and it is a treat. What is interesting to me is that the material spans several films, years, and improved technical production value, yet all of it feels at home on this CD; flowing seamlessly from track to track.
Pay attention. those of y’all who fancy yourselves musicians out there: This is called having your OWN STYLE. [Jammes] is also a performer and songwriter, which is why I think her scores have an emphasis on themes & catchy melodies.
Before you go thinking this is gonna be an unashamed love letter to Ms. Luckett, and not a review…let me point out that (to my ears) some of the material is a bit hit and miss here and there. Some things just work better in conjunction with a visual (which obviously is not available in this release), and that was how this music was intended to be presented. However, this seems symptomatic of the soundtrack album format in general.
As much as I love hearing this music on its own, it should be understood that it (especially some of the demo material for the unused score to “The Woods”) are components of something bigger, and in some cases not quite fully realized. If you listen you’re gonna hear some flubbed notes, some sloppy execution in the guitars here and there, perhaps some of the instrument sounds themselves are a bit rushed (I’m not a fan of direct-in guitar; gotta get a microphone on it, and that’s the gospel truth ), but NONE of these things ruin the material for me. In fact, they serve to make the performances MUCH more human.
There is an urgency to these tracks. This music feels like it emerged; raw & bleeding; straight from the composer’s heart. In this day & age where so much of what passes for film “composition” is actually some jerkoff programming tempo grids in computer programs such as Reason, Cakewalk, or the dread Acid….well, I’ll take [Jammes’] stuff any day. The tracks are ripe with experimentation, great textures, and what I like to call “Brilliant Accidents.”
For example, during “The Toolbox Murders” there is some nasty tape hiss that is cleverly panned left & right in tempo with the music, thus making it an instrument to itself and not a technical liability. “Lazy Liars” (from the Masters Of Horror episode “Sick Girl”) has some sleek-n-sexified retro keyboard that is very much in keeping with the film proper (Misty Mundae & Angela Bettis…oh my, don”t mind if I do…)
The music from “Roman” shows Luckett truly coming into her own, and the arrangements are more sophisticated and yet more subtle. Not an easy task, I assure you. These are among my favorite works on this CD, and they close the disc with a gloomy, desperate beauty.
Simply put, this is a grab bag of great stuff; a wonderful retrospective of a very talented up and coming musician. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to add some beautiful, emotional music to their CD collection.
GARAGIO (2019) – Album REVIEWS
“Garagio” review originally published by The Bandcamp Diaries – June 6, 2018
NOTE: The album was initially released under the imprint name, Art Mechanix, rather than the artist.
Art Mechanix is the brainchild of artist and multi-instrumentalist Jammes Luckett. Although this driven performer is particularly experienced in soundtrack work with an eclectic vibe, this new musical adventure focuses largely on electronic and rock music. As a songwriter, Jammes aims to unshackle creativity from the ties of boundaries like genre definitions, aiming for a much broader scope.
The project’s most recent release is a full-length album titled “Garagio,” which stands out as a really good example of the driving concept behind Art Mechanix. The songs featured on this album boast a tantalizing combination of catchy hooks and memorable melodies while putting a strong emphasis on hypnotic and innovative rhythm grooves. Through “Garagio,” Jammes has made a point to stay true to many different inspirations, challenging them all into a very compelling unitary vision.
In addition to the outstanding quality of the songwriting, it would be a big oversight not to mention the sheer quality of the mixes. The tone of this release is fat and warm, with a really generous low end that feels cinematic and big, perhaps an influence from Jammes’ soundtrack work? In addition to the big, cinematic tones, the top end of these mixes is silky and smooth, adding impressive definition to this particular release.
The album artwork also deserves a special nod. I really love the cool 60s style of this particular release, and more importantly the fact that Nikola Tesla appears on the sleeve, not once, but twice! Throughout the span of 18 songs, this album is a fantastic journey and a well-rounded listening experience.
“Garagio” review originally published by Rebecca Cullen of Stereo Stickman– June 9, 2018
NOTE: The album was initially released under the imprint name, Art Mechanix, rather than the artist.
Openly inspired by the music that lit up the airwaves throughout the 60s and 70s, Garagio is a project that emerges as the missing link from more than a few Tarantino films. Art Mechanix’ manner of composing and writing to express certain ideas and to lay out a detailed, ambient scene before listeners, is the sort that comes through as totally cinematic and endlessly interesting. Summer Of Love showcases all of this, and as you move through Course Correction and Caredevil (Do ‘The Vine’), the artist’s inherent eclecticism and connection to the arts grows stronger and stronger.
Art Mechanix is Jammes Luckett, an artist well-known for her work in TV and film. Given this background, it makes sense that this collection of songs feels like a series of a short films – the details and the changing moods, the characters – it all tumbles out in front of you like the stages of a brand new piece of theatre, on opening night. There’s so much detail in fact, so many intricacies and moments to look out for, that a single listen is far from enough to let it all totally reach out to you. Une histoire gauloise, as an example, seems to come out of nowhere, bringing forwards that touch of indie or synth-pop that was presented in the opening song, but surrounding you more notably with this hypnotic, ongoing instrumental riff that again seems fit to accompany a hero’s (or a villain’s) final steps.
Elsewhere on the album the 60s run free. Heartbreaker brings a raw sense of performance to the stage, it’s up close and personal, it’s gentle yet distorted, soaked in something of a Beach Boys do blues-rock vibe. The songs on this album seem to fly by, many standing at under the usual three minute mark, meaning that the experience of listening in full is a total whirlwind of colour and excitement, and that runs deep – in the composition, in the set-up, in the thoughtfulness. Tracks like The Cursed Verse envelop you in drama and intense musical evolution, without even the mention of a lyrical idea or hook.
Once you make it through the musical downpour, the conceptual elements really start to draw your intrigue. As stated, sometimes the music does the work – a simple title and a subsequent audio experience inherently tied to that work wonders on the imagination. In other cases, the lyrics accompany the mood set by the music in a powerful way, capturing your attention and stopping you in your tracks a little. Big Sur (At the Edge of the World) offers a bold example of this, the sudden mellow energy and the delicate vocal presentation create a stark contrast with what came before, so the words appear poetically entrancing, and this matches the mood of the music beautifully.
Throughout this extensive, 18 track listening experience, the walls of genre are forcibly knocked to the ground – leaving room for pure creativity and melodic ability. What you get at the centre of it all is songwriting – an artist who writes because that’s all that can be done with this sort of passion and imaginative thinking. The eclecticism is mighty but it’s also really well arranged, you get the gentle before the heavy, the calm before the rhythmic, the light before the dark, and vice-versa. Whenever melancholy peaks its quiet head around the corner, high energy and optimism are sure to follow after – to keep you sane, to keep you entertained. It’s an impressive collection by all accounts, particularly considering the single writing credit. The album feels much more like a collaborative, best of the decade sort of offering.
Performance-wise the musicality of the album works well, that vintage crackle is subtle but comforting, adding to the nostalgic vibrancy of the whole thing and reminding you to take it on as if it matters, as if it could change your day for the better – which it could. Expect rock and roll, jazz, soul, indie, blues, meandering instrumentals and deeply provocative or hilariously quirky lyrical observations. Press play at the start of the party, or wait until everyone’s gone home – in either case, the music has your back.
Later highlights include the classic, energizing rock and roll shuffle of Rowdy Howdy, the multilayered, surprisingly riff-tastic reggae ambiance of Once Upon a Time in CinemaScope, and thensuperb melodic evolution and scene-setting of Amazing – the latter of which is an easy personal highlight. These three songs work perfectly well one after the other in transporting the listener to several new places – escapism at its most effective and interesting.
Things come to a close with the somehow still surprising change of direction that is Good Night, Tesla – instantly intriguing, captivating, memorable. There’s no end to the artistry of Art Mechanix, nothing is out of reach, no idea too close to home and no element of music too foreign. If it fits the moment of expression then it works, and there is something decidedly characterful about all of this, despite its overwhelming sense of familiarity and comfort.
Garagio is totally worth exploring.