Expert Comments

Andy Buck | Blessed Mother of Arctic Circle Guitar Pop | Spoken Word

Don't care if we come from the same city, this is still my favorite piece in the top ten. For me, this embodies a lot of the best of what spoken word can be. Fuses elements of poetry, monologue, theatre, and stand up comedy. I love the irony in the work and Andy's sense of comedic timing is laser sharp. Great economy of language -- the writing is tight, which gives him the ability to shift and move within the performance (and keep it under the good ol' three minute slam time limit) and actually respond to what the audience is feeling. He's not talking at them, he's talking with them. Listen to the audience on the video -- they are blown away. Stellar writing, nailed the performance, and I pray for all of our sakes that somebody forwards this to Jewell.

Casey Wasner | Keep In Touch | Singer-Songwriter

This is a solid song -- more pop, I'd say, than singer-songwriter, but still a well-written tune that's melodically strong, has good dynamics and a tight, polished arrangement that makes good use of two layers of keyboards. It floats in that same CHR/AC divide with John Mayer, Ben Folds and The Fray, which is not bad company at all. I do think you need a better hook for this than "keep in touch" and would encourage a bit of re-writing for something that's a bit less obvious, but the most necessary qualities of the tune are there, and I think this is something that can open some ears for you.

Mad Mark Wirtz | BODY LANGUAGE | Comedy

Much of the material here is fairly easy -- swearing while confessing you have Tourette's syndrome, some penis puns, the weather forecast. It seems you are counting too much on your wacky, avuncular stage presence, which would certainly stand out in American clubs. But the material isn't really there. People may be shocked a bit by the more blue material, but if you're looking to be a stand-up comic for a living, you probably won't want to build your act around that. Anyone can go that route, and many do. If this video is a true representation of who you are as a comic, I think you have some work to do on your point of view, what separates you from other comics, why someone would remember you, and your material, if they saw you on a bill with a bunch of other comics. Good luck going forward.

Ginger Leigh | Ginger Leigh - Charge Laughing | Pop

Bonus points for the Koper, Slovenia setting! A gorgeous town -- and what are the odds that the critic assigned this would have been there? This is testimony that there is no better experience for a musician than to get on the road and play in front of audiences all over the world, under whatever conditions present themselves. Certainly not an easy route, but the payoff in terms of skills clearly pays off, as seen in the way Leigh relates to an audience, lets the song unfold its story, even for fans who don't speak a lot of English (though extra bonus points for slipping into, what was that, Italian? That would make sense given the stream of Italian tourists in Koper). Stylistically, this is a solid throwback to the still-sturdy values of '70s singer-songwriters who learned their trade the same way. Hard to compare to most of the others in this category, but this stands on its own.

Ginger Leigh | Ginger Leigh - Close Enough | Rock

Would've been good to see this song performed live to hear you without multiple vocal tracks and perhaps a bit more raw, although I was able to get plenty of that by checking out your backstage area. As for the song itself, I like the warm-but-unsettling atmosphere, the lyrical imagery and the bluesy guitar twang, and you've got a really powerful, dusky voice that commands attention from the start. Yours is one of the few songs this season that, no pun intended, I couldn't get out of my head -- maybe it was the repetition (done well here, I might add), but my odds are on the quality of the songwriting. Good luck!

Erimac Entertainment | Lilly In The Garden | Short Film

I feel there are serious production value issues. There are sound problems throughout and the performances are a bit weak. My biggest problem is the story itself. I appreciate a good twist but it felt like it like a poor student film. I hope you learned some lessons on this film to apply to the next one.

Arvin Bautista | Fetal: Special Edition | Animation

I liked the drawn on paper look a lot. And the morphing worked nicely getting us from the baby to the grave and back into an egg again. It might have been nice to have some "camera" moves to get us out of that same side view throughout the whole thing. Those morphs would be really interesting seen from a rotating camera, for example. Also experiment with sounds next time. I would have been drawn in more if the video game made sounds and if I could have heard that big explosion.

CICO | CICO TRAILER 1 - THE BEGINNING - | Dance

Wow, dramatic video. Loved the music choice, and it went so well with all the spinning (head, hand, back, elbows... seriously, that was some crazy spinning...). I do wish I'd seen some other skills, but as far as the spins go, that was awesome. I don't know that I've ever seen anyone headspin with their legs piked perfectly parallel to the floor, feet in front of their face... well done.

JJ Gomez | Mary will go around town asking for more | Singer-Songwriter

i like your song structure and chords a lot..try adding some more harmonies, this song would sound great with some more layers..nice work and keep it up!

First Legion | Living Carcass (Live) | Metal

Hard to tell everything volume was way to distorted.