Hailing from the North East, Vandebilt consists of songwriter/producer Jordan Miller, singer/songwriter Joe Collins, drummer/producer Jack Wade and Guitarist/songwriter Dan Martin. After having performed live across the UK with great success, the group have just released their debut album The House that Vandebilt.
Makes you want to dance
Influenced by French house music (particularly artists like Daft Punk and Hot Chip), the album consists of eight tracks and is a solid listen. The group clearly has talent as both the production and Collins’ vocals are strong. The hooks are also very catchy, a DJ could throw one of the songs on in a nightclub and the crowd would want to get up and dance to them. Out of all the songs, the best was the fourth track ‘Diana Ross’. While all the songs have a good chorus, this one is easily the most memorable. I also really loved the funky bassline that plays throughout.
The songs: a need to develop
As for the rest of the songs, while they are enjoyable, they also don’t really stand out. There is nothing particularly distinctive about the group’s material. As mentioned earlier, this is clearly a group of talented musicians, but they sound like they could be any number of other artists in the genre. I also felt that while all songs have a strong chorus, the rest of the verses are somewhat forgettable. That said, despite these misgivings, I liked the record enough that I am interested in hearing Vandebilt’s future work I do hope that they will be able to develop their own style over time.
In conclusion, The House That Vandebilt is a decent debut that fans of dance music will enjoy, but one that (aside from Diana Ross) I suspect won’t have that much replay value.
