Commanding vocals do nothing but lend to the feel of a song. In his two newest singles, Reed Waddle does well to use his powerful voice to create the unique personalities of his two tracks. Backed by some robust instrumentals, both tracks have their own unique personality that is pulled together by some great vocals. After just one listen, it is undeniable that this freshman effort deserves some attention.
The first track, Too Bright to Fade Away, hits hard from the top with vocals that demand your attention. The guitar is smooth and when the drums kick in they do so with power. The western aesthetic is complimented well by an undeniably sunny beat. The controlled instrumentals do well to ramp up the track, which speaks to the musicianship of Reed Waddle and his band. The vocals of Reed Waddle are strong enough to keep your attention throughout, especially when the backup chorus comes in. The track has a pop to it and by the end, you’ll want to give it another listen, ready to sing along with it.
Bells of Brooklyn is a much slower track. The somber guitar keeps the mood while the vocals of Reed Waddle lend their commanding quality. The bass keeps low and slow, caressing the instrumentals as they keep the mood of the track. “I get lost in my mind, follow in my fear, took a lot of wrong steps so I could get right here†is a line evocative of the uncertainty and aesthetic of the track. The contemplative vocal performance adds to the mood of the track, solidifying their robust nature.
Reed Waddle does a great job at showing what he’s made of in these tracks. With strong vocals and robust instrumentals, both of these tracks stand out. Each of them brings their own mood and are both memorable in their own way. When you get a chance, give these two tracks a listen and keep an eye out for Reed Waddle.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
Leave a Reply