Ventura County, you've got talent!

Choosing the best from such an impressive pool was not easy. At times there was, from our points of view, some mismatching of artists and categories. That said, we’re not sure we could have done better than MAVRIC’s judges. Many of the songs we chose edged to the front of the race by the tiniest of margins. Nearly every song in the lot captured our interest, and many that aren’t listed made us smile and nod our heads in acknowledgment. Due mostly to issues of space, we only voted in a sampling of categories. Now it’s your turn . . .. www.mavric-awards.com.

Song of the Year Overall
Jay: Delaney Gibson: “Chicago.” A near-perfect piano ballad with a great melody, poignant lyrics and a beautiful string arrangement.
Cicero: Jenni Alpert: “All We Need is Love.” Despite the unfortunate choice of an all-too-familiar title, this song offers a great message carried by an easy melody. The singing is pleasing and unique enough without attempting vocal gymnastics. Cheers for simplicity.

Alternative
Jay: Pat Salisbury Band: “Moonlight Trip.” Groovy acoustic radio-ready track with a summer sing-a-long feel. Gritty and relaxed vocals reminiscent of Jack Johnson.
Cicero: Brainspoon: “Bleeding Black and White.” Possibly my favorite song from the entire competition. Think the Hives meets the Donnas. Infectious, fun, mod and full of attitude (practically a prerequisite for rock ’n’ roll.)

Country
Jay: High Hills Bluegrass Band: “Grandma’s House.” In the face of today’s cheeseball new country, this track brings intense banjo picking, hayseed harmonies and an old-time fun feel.
Cicero: Sally Jaye: “When the Cocaine Wears Off.” An alt-country (new category for next year?) lament punctuated by tasteful steel guitar work. Solid songwriting. Not contrived and silly, like so much popular country, this feels authentic without too much twang.

Folk
Jay: Adam Bianchi: “I Don’t Want You Anymore.” Simple but effective acoustic ballad with a haunting feel that wouldn’t be out of place on an Elliot Smith or a Neil Young record.
Cicero: Adam Bianchi: “I Don’t Want You Anymore.” Exactly what Chris said with honorable mentions to B.Willing and Dave Watkins.

Hard Rock
Jay: Awol Star: “Take Your Best Shot.” The most contemporary sounding of the hard rock entries with a good recording quality and hook-y chorus.
Cicero: Automatic Hotel: “The Devil You Know.” I would have said Brainspoon’s “No Damage” but it’s not hard rock. From there it was a toss up between “If You Hear” by Aces High and “The Devil You Know” by Automatic Hotel. “The Devil You Know” rocked the hardest.

Rap
Jay: Akadimik: “Just Doing Me.” Though the groove is similar to Jay Z’s classic collaboration with Eminem “Renegade,” the intense flow with references to both John Coltrane and the Juice Crew declare Akadimik an MC to keep your eye on.
Cicero: Gil S.O.T.U.: “Butterfly Kings.” Old-school style rhymes and rhythm with a shout-out to early LL Cool Jay. He had me at:“My mind is pregnant with thoughts/ I’m about to conceive.”

Rock
Jay: Franklin for Short: “Fast and Soft.” A song that harkens to Death Cab For Cutie or maybe old Violent Femmes. A moving rocker with great lyrics is one of many outstanding songs from one of the county’s best bands in any genre.
Cicero: Franklin for Short: “Fast and Soft.” I’m not totally comfortable calling this rock but it has all the elements of a great song. It’s catchy, it’s hook-y, it’s interesting, it’s memorable and it’s radio-ready. These guys are potential hit makers.

Blues
Jay: Alan Thornhill: “Southbound Train.” A smooth acoustic vibe and exceptional playing —  including the use of a fiddle, the sonic color alone makes it stand out from the electric guitar-based pack.
Cicero: Cocobilli: “Long Way Home.” Great blues playing is felt as much as it’s heard. Teresa Russell makes her guitar weep as few Ventura County players do, and she’s not a bad singer either. She is, as they say, “the shit.”

Metal
Jay: Citizen Rising: “Encore.” Elements of prog yet still raging, the opening scream alone is worth the price of admission.
Cicero: Ten Times Karma:“When Everything Falls.” Technically proficient, light on the cheese quotient and doesn’t make me want to run through plate glass.

Pop
Jay: Evan Hillhouse: “I Love It Like You.” There was a time when pop didn’t mean boy bands and bad R&B, and this song is a reminder of that. Jangly, Beatlesesque guitar pop with an amazingly huge, feel-good chorus. Brilliant.
Cicero: Evan Hillhouse: “I Love It Like You.” Ditto.

Punk
Jay: Marya Roxx: “Rebel.” Reminsicnt of L7 or the Lunachicks, this female-fronted punk band from L.A. has rapid-fire drumming, angry lyrics, bleeped out profanity and shredding riffs.
Cicero: Awol Star: “Lock, Stock and Barrel.” Fast and furious, mildly anthemic punk of the hardcore variety that’s as taut as it should be.

R&B
Jay: Zuri Allen Star: “V.I.P featuring Excel.” Killer drum loop, obligatory lyrics about clubbing and a chant-like infectious hook similar to what we’ve seen from Fergie and Gwen Stefani. There’s no reason V.I.P. couldn’t be an annoyingly huge hit.
Cicero: Zuri Allen Star “V.I.P.featuring Excel.” Exactly.