Besides my ongoing role as a composer for the Telepictures Network (Ellen, Extra, TMZ) and the Bell Media/CTV Network in Canada, I produced and recorded two singer/songwriter projects in 2020 that I think deserve special mention, specifically because of their almost immediate success and international attention right out of the starting gate.
Molly Ofgeography
“Molly Ofgeography” is singer/songwriter Molly Seeley, a viral Tumblr blogger (with 24k followers) whose family resides on Hilton Head Island. A chance encounter and impromptu jam session with local pianist and singer John Brackett, who was a dinner guest at the family’s Spanish Wells home, led to Brackett’s suggestion of a meeting with me at my studio. As I listened to Seeley’s unassuming audition, I witnessed true musical artistry, even though Seeley was seemingly unaware of the depth of her innate talents. I found her to be slightly reminiscent of Alanis, or perhaps Jewel, with crafted, poetic lyrics that might have otherwise been penned by Joni Mitchell.
That combination of talents is rare, especially in a newcomer. We immediately hatched a plan to get to work.
Seeley’s project was recorded (and is being released) in two segments. The first, an EP called Myths is a mashup of styles—Americana, folk, pop—and includes a duet with local favorite, Kyle Wareham (Pretty Darn/Three Legged Fox). As of this writing, Myths is approaching 200,000 streams on Spotify and other streaming platforms.
Seeley’s second EP, Runaway Run, boasts a musical diversity that picks up right where Myths left off, including Seeley’s now seeming trend towards duets—this time a jazzy bossa nova sung with another local and national favorite, Sterlin “Stee” Colvin. The release date for Runaway Run was Sept 30, 2020.
Julia Clark
Eighteen-year-old singer/songwriter Julia Clark started her musical journey as one half of Hilton Head duo “JXRose,” (with Emma Carrol), whose song and video, “Dumb,” was very well received, capturing the attention of Universal Records, who released the song internationally in 2018. Rewinding for context, I first met Clark in 2015, when she was part of a group of three girls that were gifted a recording session at The Sound, where we recorded them singing Adele’s “Someone Like You,” karaoke style. I knew immediately that Clark had something very special, and it was from this meeting that JX Rose was formed. With JX Rose going on hiatus soon after, Clark continued to develop her talents, writing and singing her own new songs, and eventually bringing them to me to co-write and produce. The end result is Clark’s freshman EP, Are We in a Dream, which is an eight-song collection of radio-ready tracks reminiscent of Billie Eilish and Halsey. Clark’s silky voice and catchy songs elicited immediate interest from BMG records in Germany, and her EP is expected to be released internationally early this month on the BMG label.
Find Molly Ofgeography on Spotify, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. Find Julia Clark on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok.
Greg Critchley is a Canadian transplant, by way of Los Angeles, where he worked for almost 20 years. A songwriter, composer, producer, and musician, he works out of The Sound, LLC, his recording studio on Hilton Head Island. On some evenings and sunny Sunday afternoons, Critchley can also be found hitting hollowed out logs with animal skins stretched across them with The John Brackett Quartet, Soundboy, and Stee & Ear Candy. For more about Critchley and his storied music career or to contact him about recording, go to gregcritchley.com.
