Music Review: Damian Carbenell @ D2TK

Second Life Live Music Review
Written by Enniv Zarf (RL: Paul Kwo)
Metaverse Music
Damian Carbenell
D2TK
4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Alright back to what most of you are probably most interested in, good old fashion acoustic rock music. The next artist I'm reviewing is Damian Carbenell who sings both originals and cover songs.

I've also decided starting today I'll have a 5 stars system to give everyone a basic idea of what the post is at one glance for easier reference. It have been so hesitant with a rating system cause I've always hated them, but I realized it helps everyone read and sort through all the info here. So here goes.

He's got a very light guitar sound and a light tenor voice that is very nicely polished and very well done. He covers a lot of contemporary sings such as Snow Patrol, Jack Johnson, Bon Jovi and more. And he does them very well. In fact I think he is definitely one of the best cover artist I have heard in Second Life. The more I hear him, the more I want to hear him. I think this guy's going somewhere!

Damian has got chops both vocally and on his guitar. He plays these wonderful rock songs that we love so dearly without us ever having to worry about him killing them at all, not at all worried, not even for a second! Awesome!

And why should we be when...

...he's got a very solid voice, that's definitely a tenor voice. So when he sings Jack Johnson and John Meyer, it's just right. His take on "You're body is a wonderland" though isn't a John Meyer's performance, it still has its own charms. He really is charming and comes across the wave as someone I'd like to hang out for an afternoon or an evening with, have a cup of coffee or tea (since I don't really drink coffee) with a group of friends after a day of snowboarding.

D2TK's venue is also just a perfect for Damian. It's such a cozy venue and so well decorated. And to hear Damian sing the way he does is just really as good as any acoustic guitar/singer can perform in Second Life. To top it all, his rendition of "Winter Wonderland" was just absolutely hand's down fantastic. I love the fact that he was moved by the atmosphere of Second Life to play that song. That is really why listening to music in Second Life is so much more exhilarating then listening to it on Myspace or any other life streaming concert. It is the next best thing then being in person with the artist.

I do like how he when he covers an artist he doesn't try to sing like them or mimic them completely but takes it the way he wants to. Of course the artists he covers are very similar in types of what he does, but still he does manage to add subtle additions to the sound and turn it into his own thing.

His original songs are just as good as the covers. If he didn't tell me it's an original I would've thought it was a cover song too. It fits right in with everything else that he's singing. "Damn it I love you" was just a great little song that fit right in with everything else. The title also reflects his pretty fun personality. It's just says so much about who he is and what he really sounds like.

I have to say the more I hear Damian the more I have to say that I really am just liking his music more and more. Usually for most artists here, they have some good stuff and some bad stuff. So far I have yet to hear anything at all that's bad coming out of his mouth and through the stream. He is consistently good all the way through, and that's not very easy to find in Second Life.

Definitely I would put him among my list of top artists in Second Life and I think he has great potential to go really far. I think though he really need to push out more originals. He sang most of the concert covers which is great to get a good audience to follow you. But if you really wanna break out, you've gotta have that one song. I have no idea what he has, but with a voice like that and guitar chops, even if you can't write one, you can certainly find a good songwriter to write you one. Polish it, produce it and get a top 40 out.

Damian's just a charming voice with a charming personality and do stop by one of his concert this winter season. It's certainly the type of music that makes you wanna get yourself wrapped in a warm blanket with a cup of hot chocolate and marshmallow with your specials someone.