Biography

Comprising of female singer/rapper Jj and guitarist/pure sound vocalist Byron J, Seminole County formed 4 years ago in a central Florida county where the band gets its name. The duo sound remarkably like Linkin Park crossed with Evanescence with a hint of Garbage's Shirley Manson attitude. The mixture works well on their 10-track self titled album, with Jj spurting out her vocals in clipped tones over guitar riffs during the verses, then reverting to Linkin Park styled harmonies during the evitable choruses. Highly commercialized and geared towards fans of Linkin Park and Evanescence without the strong gothic tendencies, this young act are certainly a very modern and "right now" sort of band. The rap influenced groove of 'Let 'Em Know' will appeal to hip-hop fans with slight electronic tinges heightening up the sound density. The short named Jj (with emphasis on lower cased second "j") has a specific vocal style and uses it without diversifying her range or tone too much. For the listeners third track 'Playin' Me' has Jj attempting straight forward singing which turns out lovely and not used enough. Byron J duets on the song and his commanding voice works well as does all his vocal contributions across the whole album. Seminole County have found a style that suits them and stick with it, though added piano touches enliven the song, showing stronger Evanescence comparisons.
'Better Than Me' continues the tight formula guitar chords and vocals dominant in the mix. Other instruments aren't so clearly defined, instead focusing on the duo trading off some assessable vocal harmonies. 'Life In Me' introduces acoustic guitar, offering some lightness - it's a good move as it offers some diversity to the pattern of similar sounding songs. One of the album's highlights, 'Life In Me' approaches ballad status and stays sincere. American radio will find difficulty distinguishing between pop, rock and hip-hop influences. The quality stays consistent throughout, no track weaker than the other. Probably the most quintessential track is 'Let 'Em Know' with its hip-hop beat and Jj's head-strong female attitude coming through. Watch out Missy and Lil Kim, you have a competitor in the midst. The most impressive in dynamics and showcasing the duo's best attributes is 'Playin' Me' as it strays from the clipped rap vocals into pure melodic singing with professionalism. Overall, it's a promising release from a young band with potential to develop away from their obvious influences into something more unique and musically developed. The music production is highly polished and sounds great on loud speakers.
Seminole County were on tour with The Backstreet Boys throughout August 2005. Wow, The Backstreet Boys - let that fact sink in for a while. Now that's an intriguing combination, the rock edge of Seminole County touring with the pure boy band pop of The Backstreet Boys.
* The band have been getting enough industry publicity to warrant attention - here's a corporate factsheet of Seminole County's activity.
To find out more visit http://www.seminolecountyonline.com


CONTACT

Jill Sturdivant
JBC Entertainment, LLC
407-323-6511
407-323-1420 fax
407-474-0464 mobile