Acoustic Guitar Magazine/Globe and Mail, Gregory R. McGuire:
Tim Tibbitts - Portraits is a dynamite collection of tunes that might best be classified as power-pop, with strong elements of Americana. Tibbitts demonstrates some stellar guitar work, with a power vibe somewhat reminiscent of the 70s. Extremely well recorded, and the artist shows a strong feel for heartfelt songwriting.
From Amazon.com
5 out of 5 stars Tim Tibbitts Soars Into Your Ears, March 15, 2005 Reviewer: James Sawyer (campbellville, Ontario Canada) -
Beautiful Girls- Catchy little tune- I prefer it live. 8/10
You Got Me- Classic song of Tim's. Always a pleasure to hear it and well written. 9/10
Time Has Come- Strongest song on the album. Great hook. Love the melody. So catchy. 10/10
She Is Not Alone - After listening to this song a few times it gets straight into you. 8.5/10
Turning Around- Catchy, catchy, catchy, and funky. 9/10
No One Knows- Love the piano in this song. 8/10
Blink Of An Eye- Twisty fun song. Great little groove. 7/10
All My Life- Pretty light and mellow song. 7.5/10
Beauty- Not my favorite, but a song that grows on you. 7/10
Tell Me - Deep and haunting song. Guitar goes sinking into your soul and wakes up something your ears have never heard. Great Vocals 10/10
Tonight- Great ending to Tim's debut. Love the guitar riff. listen for the band to come in as the song builds, I love it. 7.5/10
If you get a chance to check out Tim live, jump on it. For a debut, the songwriting shines. I see great things coming for Tim Tibbitts. Pick up the cd and become a fan after one listen.
From Kristyn Cunningham-Phoenix Revolution
Tim Tibbitts - Portraits
5/5
Favorite Tracks: Tell Me, All My Life, Turning Around
The voice of Tim Tibbitts leaves an impression that is hard to forget. Despite the intricately layered melodies, the first thing that stands out in every song are Tim's overwhelming vocals. Each song lends to a soothing aural landscape that blossoms wider and brighter as the songs build, climaxing with the chaotic "Tell Me," the standout track on the disc. But I'll get to that in a minute.
Tim takes his listeners on a bit of a false journey at first, appearing to be an aspiring pop star with the opening track, "Beautiful Girls." The song conjures up images of fresh faced women in a makeup ad and to be honest, is a less than impressive beginning to the disc. But Tim continues to press for greater vocal heights, surprising listeners on "She is Not Alone" by proving that his enormous, booming voice is also capable of a tremulous, wistful whisper. Just as the disc begins to hit a lull, it takes a wild turn into a funky guitar rock song, "Turning Around." One of the best moments of Portraits is during this song- there's a brilliant guitar solo that brings a new fire to the tune at the most vital moment. It's a rewind-and-replay kind of moment, one you have to hear just one more time to be fully satisfied.
Tim's voice seems to carry its own energy- he finds the pulse of the song and accelerates it. The songs are so deeply woven with piano, acoustic and electric guitars, hot drum beats, coaxing bass lines and even a few exotic instruments like mandolin and dobro that it's easy to miss something. Put your headphones on for this disc- each subsequent listen reveals a new layer of sound you never noticed before.
"All My Life" is a song that hit me like a slap in the face. The vocals in that song, especially at the end, fill some place in the tune that is near perfection. It's one of those moments in a song where the melody isn't just good, it's right. Have you ever heard a song that is actually satisfying on some level? That song accomplishes that feeling. And as I mentioned earlier, "Tell Me" is the finest track on the disc. It starts with a simple bare acoustic and ends in a calamity of instruments. Whenever I hear this song I immediately think of a howling thunderstorm (2:23-2:55), growing in intensity and finally breaking wide open, spitting out a torrent of rain.
The disc ends with a beautiful love song to his muse and his friends- anyone who knows him should be honored to be included in such a standout array of songs. This is a man with unquestionable talent and some of the catchiest tunes I've heard so far this year. If I were forced to make a complaint, I would say that perhaps some of the melodies are a bit too catchy, nearly bridging into standard bubblegum pop or *gasp* adult contemporary. Luckily, Tim has enough skill to be able to make a tune that simultaneously gets stuck in your head all day and has enough depth to impress even the biggest cynic.
2XX FM Australia, Valerie Baxter: An outstandingly different album both acoustically and lyrically. With songs written from the heart combined with interesting guitar and keyboard, Tim Tibbitts’ new CD has something for everyone – I heard a little jazz, a little from the folk side of music and even some country riffs among the eleven self-penned songs. My favourites would be ‘You Got Me’, ‘All My Life’ and ‘Time Has Come’. Best wishes to this fine young artist in his career, both in song-writing and playing music with that special edge to it that makes it so good to listen to.
Zietgiest UK:
I had been told in advance that the killer track on this ceedee was "You Got Me", and there it was, track 2, one of the finest heartbreak songs I've heard in a long while. Tim has a directness about his music that is very refreshing and his modern take on classic American rock is big of melody and chorus in a way that only wide open spaces seems to generate.
If you like your music to have shades of Counting Crows, Goo Goo Dolls and Barenaked Ladies then you're going to enjoy this. The songs are well crafted, each worthy of your attention with Tim's manly voice icing on the cake. No fey, girlboy voices here, thank you very much.
