As an aspiring singer and songwriter on Youtube, Chase Holfelder has come a long way in the music industry since his first major to minor song “Amazing Grace” which was released on August 5, 2014. Since then, he has made over 20 songs in his Major to Minor series. His first album, Major to Minor Vol. 1, consists of 13 songs and was released September 8, 2015 on Itunes and Youtube.
Back in late 2014, Chase mostly did covers in their normal keys, but it wasn’t until “Amazing Grace” that he found his calling in minor keys and added his own signature twist. A minor key song usually sounds sad or creepy, yet Chase exposes that tone just enough to make a song have a completely different meaning than the major key version. Here are five of my personal favorite covers.
Back in late 2014, Chase mostly did covers in their normal keys, but it wasn’t until “Amazing Grace” that he found his calling in minor keys and added his own signature twist. A minor key song usually sounds sad or creepy, yet Chase exposes that tone just enough to make a song have a completely different meaning than the major key version. Here are five of my personal favorite covers.
Best Day of My Life (American Authors Minor Cover)
The first song is originally sung by American Authors and is completely upbeat, but Chase creates a darker tone. His voice comes out soft and entrancing with the background music done entirely by himself for this song. His voice reaches high notes without a problem. During the second time the chorus is sung, Chase sings as it as though he is demanding the best day of his life. His signature harmonized vocals make an appearance towards the end, as the ending fades out, making it a great first song for his album.
Girls Just Want to Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper Minor Cover)
The second song opens up with a guitar, and Chase’s lullaby-like voice. Everytime the chorus comes around, the music becomes more rock instead with Chase’s voice reaching higher notes. After the chorus ends, the song returns to its lullaby tone. The third time the chorus strikes, the song progressively turns into the rock theme once more.
Animal (Neon Trees Minor Cover)
This song is my personal favorite out of all of the songs in this volume. The song begins with Chase’s soft voice singing in a hypnotic tone with the lyrics “Here we go again.. I kinda wanna be more than friends..” As opposed to the upbeat key we are used to, this one has a more sinister tone. The harmonies in this piece work in his favor, more than ever. I can’t stress how much I adore it when he hits those high notes. This song beautifully represents his talent, as well as being one of the most mesmerising songs in the album. After the quiet lyric, “I won’t sleep tonight” is when the song shines brighter than the rest. It transitions into a very intense harmonic while Chase is nailing those high notes.
I Want You to Want Me (Cheap Trick Minor Cover)
The song begins with a piano playing a song fit for rainy days. Unlike his other songs, this one does not have a depressing tone but rather more of a relaxing, dreamy one. As most of his songs begin, Chase’s voice is soft and full of passion, like he’s thinking of someone who he desperately wants to notice his existence. His voice is slightly shaky like he’s close to crying and the first chorus sounds desperate. Slowly, throughout the song, his tone changes from desperate to determined. There are lots of piano and harmonies filling the silent parts where Chase does not sing.
My Country ‘Tis of Thee (Samuel Francis Smith Minor Cover)
This song is full of passionate lyrics as well as emotion. It matches the story of the song, which is about America’s freedom. It’s very relaxing despite the heavy lyrics, and it’s a perfect song to use as the last song of his first album.
Months after the release of his first album, Chase hit his highest subscriber count in 2015 after the release of this album. The Major to Minor series clearly shows his improvement compared to his older songs he had posted two years ago prior to this album. With his creativity for transferring the tone of the songs, his album scored a 4.8 rating review on iTunes which was littered with praises and pleas for a second album. His fans are excited for the next release and can’t wait to see what will be on the next album.