Marion Raven - Here I Am
List Price:
Our Price: $8.70
You Save: $13.29 (60%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store
Canadian Music Store
Music CD Cover
Artist: Marion RavenEdition: Music CD
Format: Import
CD Release Date: 2005-08-01
Music Label: Wea International
Soundtracks:
- End of Me
- Here I Am
- Break You
- Crawl
- Little by Little
- Get Me out of Here
- 13 Days
- For You I'll Die
- Let Me Introduce Myself
- Heads Will Roll
- At the End of the Day
- Six Feet Under
- Gotta Be Kidding
- In Spite of Me
Free Music Notes for Here I Am
Free Music Review: REALLY GOOD MODERN POP/ROCK RECORD
Hit: 5 Stars
You might know Marion Raven as the pretty (and then later sultry) brunette from M2M. Well, she's all grown up now (as if their 2nd album wasn't any indication of that - that girl suddenly became all sexy and voluptuous) and she's got a lot to write about for this new album.
In retrospect, it's a pretty solid, polished post-millennial pop/rock album, but don't just easily put it as a totally average album. It's chock full of tracks that are as catchy as they are sincere. Having your album produced by uber pop god Max Martin kinda helps out a lot, crafting a slick pop/rock album that's as accessible as it seems artistic.
All the tracks are great, by the way. Did I mention Marion Raven's easy on the eyes too (even though she tries to seem more boho and grungy with this one - she's still very much prepackaged and hot). Here's a track-by-track review of the album:
1. "End Of Me" - One of the catchiest tracks off the album is also one of the loudest and most frenetic: a stomper of a pop/rock anthem in the same vein as Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" and The Veronicas' "4Ever." This one adds an eeriness that's different from the direct mainstream approach of the other two artists, especially with the use of the piano and guitar in the intro. Great, catchy, fast-paced track that's used to open the album with a bang.
2. "Here I Am" - A full on declaration, well, since the track's pretty self-explanatory. Angsty, yet loud at the same time. It's still catchy, but it's also epic with the use of the strings and big midtempo rockin' beats in the background.
3. "Break You" - THIS is a pop anthem here. Sounds like a pissed off female version to Backstreet Boys' "Incomplete," except more suited for an arena rock stadium. This is as loud as the album gets, and it's pretty damn loud.
4. "Crawl" - Not as instantly catchy as the first three tracks and not as outstanding either, but it's still catchy, bouncy, yet angsty pop/rock.
5. "Little By Little" - The pace slows down a bit and I think one weakness of the album is how the slowed down songs make the mood more somber than they are (since a lot of the album deals with angst to begin with, fast or slow songs alike). It's sweet and innocent, but it lacks the power of the other tracks.
6. "Get Me Out Of Here" - Another catchy pop/rock track that's expected at this point. It gets formulaic, yet it's still a lot of fun to listen to because it's anthemic, fast, and catchy.
7. "13 Days" - Another epic pop/rock track that's unlike the darker mainstream stuff Evanescence and Avril Lavigne have done lately. It's got a growling background with strings and bass, but it's all to the effect. Pretty good.
8. "For You I'll Die" - An ode to a lover. Marion Raven pours her heart out for this one, mainly because it's a very piano-laden ballad that's sparse and not as polished as the other tracks. It's a very intimate candlelight setting, but eerie at the same time.
9. "Let Me Introduce Myself" - Yet another catchy mid-tempo pop/rock track. It's okay, especially since there have been other better tracks that came before it.
10. "Heads Will Roll" - Great intro: almost Bj?rk-like, but it then turns out to be a really rockin' track that's just as pissed-off-sounding as any angry track here. It's darker and more experimental, yet it's not totally alienating.
11. "At The End Of The Day" - One of a few lighter moments in the album, it's pretty cheesy because it's lightweight adult contemporary/alternative. It's happy and catchy.
12. "Six Feet Under" - Like "13 Days," it's epic, yet this is more melodic and straight up pop/rock rather than trying to be a super orchestrated track. It's one of the slower Max Martin tracks, yet it's one of the best in the album because it's so melodic.
13. "Gotta Be Kidding" - A total change from "Six Feet Under" because the melody in this ain't as familiar and it's so disjointed. It's weird, but it's still straight up pop/rock. The random blasts of energy during the chorus is weird too, but you get used to it.
14. "In Spite Of Me" - Like "Little By Little," it's a more sweet track that shows a more vulnerable side to Marion Raven, the solo artist. It's a nice way to close the album because it's so simple and sweet, but it closes it in a sleepy manner.
So this album is actually a mixed bag of pissed off rocky numbers, some okay pop/rockers, and some sentimentally sweet slow numbers. With her thin, yet clear voice, she's best when she sings and not screams, yet her louder tracks end up being her catchier ones. "Here I Am" may not be Marion at her peak yet, but it's a great indication of what she's capable of: she's a promising artist with great potential, even though she might seem like another slick concauction of the pop industry.
Here I Am Poster
First Solo Album from the Member of M2m.Pop Music CDs
Music Genres
Top music charts in Pop Music CDs
Yvette Freeman - Dinah Was (L.A. Theatre Works Audio Theatre Collection)Release date: 2005-04-12; Music CD
Best price: $21.07
Price in other shops:
Twin Sisters Productions - Building Character Music CDTWIN SISTERS PRODUCTIONS; Release date: 2007-01-01; Music CD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Bernadette Peters in ConcertDVD
Best price: $129.99
Everything Must Go/ Two Against Natureby Steely Dan
Published: 2003; Music CD
Scattered Ashesby Ihsahn / Emperor
Candlelight Records/Emi; Published: 2009-07-28; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $9.75
Price in other shops:
![Christmas at the Biltmore Estate [VHS] Image](/images/Christmas-at-the-Biltmore-Estate-VHS-076700437X-X.jpg){kind=small}
Christmas at the Biltmore Estate [VHS]A&E Home Video; Release date: 1998-09-04; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $13.34
Price in other shops:
The Shadow: Rare Radio Gems (Rare Radio Gems)Release date: 2002-09-01; Published: 2002-09-01; Music CD
Best price: $20.00
Price in other shops:
On the Shoulders of Giants, Vol. 1: An Audio & Musical Journey Through the Harlem Renaissanceby Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Release date: 2011-09-06; Published: 2008; Music CD
Best price: $1.98
Price in other shops:
Francis Durbridge, Paul Temple & The Gilbert Case - Radio ShowRelease date: 2003-05-12; Music CD
Best price: $21.49
Price in other shops:
The Serenaders - My One and Only YouRelease date: 2011-05-28; Music CD
Best price: $8.76
Price in other shops:
Top Rated Albums
Within Temptation - The Unforgiving (Special Edition CD+DVD)Release date: 2011-03-29; Music CD
Best price: $18.13
Price in other shops:
Christina Aguilera - BIONIC - DELUXE (Explicit)Release date: 2010-06-08; Published: 2000; Music CD
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Avril Lavigne - Goodbye LullabyRelease date: 2011-03-08; Published: 2011-03-07; Music CD
Best price: $8.24
Price in other shops:
M2m - Shades of PurpleRelease date: 2000-03-07; Music CD
Best price: $14.16
Marit Larsen - The ChaseRelease date: 2009-04-21; Music CD
Best price: $13.99
Price in other shops:
Marit Larsen - Under the SurfaceRelease date: 2006-11-27; Music CD
Best price: $20.61
Price in other shops:
M2m - The Big RoomRelease date: 2002-03-05; Music CD
Best price: $4.77
Price in other shops:
Marion Raven - Set Me FreeRelease date: 2007-06-25; Music CD
Best price: $8.34
Price in other shops: