This week's post is a track review by DJ BZB, also known as Bianca Sandoval! Bianca is a senior studying art and technology at UO. She has been a DJ at KWVA for nearly two years, and has her own music project on the side.

Track Review: "Wandering Alone"

Whenever I see a celebrity feature on a track, I tend to assume the worst. Coco T, Paris Hilton, whatever poor soul you would find later that week on The Soup. Vicci Martinez is different.

Martinez is most recognizable as "Daddy" in Netflix’s Orange Is The New Black. Hailing from Tacoma, WA., Martinez has been recording since 2011 after her appearance on The Voice. (She was on Cee-Lo Green’s team!) This track, released in January of this year, has been advertised along side Martinez’s casting on Orange Is The New Black, but to be honest, I feel like it shortens her accomplishments. Though she came in third on The Voice, she's really succeeded in her solo singing career. I wish that this track, “Wandering Alone,” showcased her voice/talent a bit more.

The track itself, dark beats and lyrics detailing a hard life of drugs and bad coping skills, fits in a show about a hardened detective with his femme fatale telling him, “my life used to be a bit of a mess.” (Wandering alone, until one night there’s a woman and you’re following her into the crowded dance floor.) The bass pulses through you while Martinez’s vocals call you in deeper. Unfortunately, the song is a bit too short for my liking. The beats, mixed with Martinez’s R&B style, blends well in a way I rarely find in electronic music. Vicci Martinez certainly shows off her singing chops, baring her soul in a way that makes you wonder how close to home the lyrics really hit for her.

Electronic music is typically so long, so this song being so short was a little disappointing. Clocking in at about three minutes, I felt like I had to play it on a loop to truly get into it. It’s a real shame because it’s such a great song. Though this song isn’t everything I had hoped for, I would still give this a listen. Torbørn is a wonderful producer and I wish Vicci Martinez was releasing more music of her own. Hmmm, maybe Netflix can work that into an episode…

Thanks, Bianca!

Want to contribute to the KWVA Music Blog? Email Sophie.