Acoustic open-mic reviews: Out Of The Bedroom, Edinburgh

OOTB 682 review ~ Thursday 13th December 2018

Jeanice Lee: ‘Christmas In C Minor’ – Jeanice drew on some festive classics for her powerful, gothic Christmas song. Jeanice’s own lyrics were written after a painful break up and Marco’s lead guitar added potency. Jeanice weaved a fascinating update of Pogues’ ‘Fairytale of New York’ into the piece and her version was arguably better than the original.

https://www.outofthebedroom.co.uk/ootb/out-of-the-bedroom-682-review-thursday-13th-december-2018/

OOTB 672 review ~ Thursday 28th June 2018

Jeanice Lee and Marco Morelli made a welcome return after their February feature act performance with ‘A Date To Die For’. This beautifully played acoustic guitar duet was a song of pain and melancholy, fronted by Jeanice’s searing, intense vocal. ‘North Star’ was a ballad reflecting on a year after a traumatic breakup. I confess to being slightly teary when Jeanice sung “somewhere under the North Star there is hope”. A dazzling guitar solo by Marco. ‘Restless’ was written for a collaborative songbook which was released last month in Glasgow. Searingly honest and completely unselfconscious, this was a powerful observation on us as consumers in a consumerist society wanting more and more. Brilliant stuff.

https://www.outofthebedroom.co.uk/ootb/out-of-the-bedroom-672-review-thursday-28th-june-2018/

OOTB 673 review ~ Thursday 22nd February 2018

Feature act Jeanice Lee gave an inspirational introduction to her set this evening, with the strong message that you’re never too late to learn and to change. Jeanice only learned how to play guitar and write songs within the last year and, given that information, it is amazing how consummately professional she and the band were this evening. Marco on guitar and Leen on bass joined Jeanice for a special acoustic set. ‘Beyond Never’ was a protest song about injustices that happen all round the world every day. The band had a full, tight sound which was very passionate and intense. Sample lyric: “nothing is what it seems… they won’t hear you scream.” ‘Exit Sign’ was a well-crafted breakup song written while travelling. Jeanice included symbolic imagery in the lyric, incorporating things that you might encounter at an airport, and the arrangement was sweet. ‘Dark Cellar’ was also inspired by the breakup, with the image of a downward spiral vividly painted in the lyric and sung with cathartic, dramatic vocal intonations. Jeanice cleverly used an effects box which produced a backing harmony, complementing her melody line. The next number ‘Freefall’ was on the theme of the environment. Jeanice asked “Have we crossed the rubicon?” and the truth is, environmentally, we probably have. While this was more upbeat, there was also room for doubt and fear. ‘Skulls and Bones’ was written after a seven-note songwriting challenge from Californian rockers System of a Down. Inspired by a visit to the Church of Bones in Italy, sample lyric: “we are skulls and bones in the end”, this was driving and impassioned with its morbid narrative. ‘Divine Red Roses’ had a strong Flamenco feel and was an uplifting foot-stomper. All that was missing was a dancer with a red rose in her teeth! A dramatic and bewitching song of heartache and probably my favourite of Jeanice’s set this evening. ‘On the Line’ featured the line “as my tears running down my face onto the side of my guitar” and the guitar harmonics from Marco, with Leen on bass, underpinned the beautifully controlled vocal wonderfully well. ‘A Date To Die For’ was written by Marco and this was the first time the song was played in public. The theme was something you believe in strongly enough that you would die for it. Very nice chord progressions creating a perfect tension and a fittingly strong way to close an excellent feature act set from Jeanice.

https://www.outofthebedroom.co.uk/ootb/out-of-the-bedroom-663-review-thursday-22nd-february-2018/

OOTB 661 review ~ Thursday 25 January 2018

Jeanice Lee, fresh from her Club Nitty Gritty appearance, made her second OOTB appearance with her guitarist partner Marco Morelli. ‘Divine Red Roses’ was Latin-flavoured, built dramatically and was sung with incredible passion. The subject matter included classic themes such as romance and  death. ‘Skull and Bones’ also focused on death with the line “everything we touch turns to dust”. Some beautiful melodic lines in the vocal which Marco’s guitar complemented very nicely. ‘Beyond Ever’ is a fixture of Jeanice’s rock band’s set and this continued the Gothic theme including the line “they won’t hear you scream”. Intense, romantic music from Jeanice.

https://www.outofthebedroom.co.uk/ootb/out-of-the-bedroom-661-review-thursday-25-january-2018/