WE love G.O.O.D Music! & not just that mainstream music either! We love... anything really & from anyone too! If it sounds GOOD, we'll plug it (plug = spread the word lol)! We aim to bring 2 U G.O.O.D music that radio doesn’t play... that U won't hear anywhere!
Last week (October 3, 2011), one of my favorite artists so far this year and - in my opinion - one of the best new artists of 2011 released his debut album via Island Records. Born and raised in Devon (United Kingdom) and with a certain penchant for classic 60s and 70s singer/songwriters like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and Richie Havens which he picked up from his very musical parents, this 24-year old British "acoustic troubadour" and "keen surfer" dropped out of a Journalism course at Falmouth College (six months before graduation) in 2008 to pursue music full-time.
The outcome - three years down the line - is a recording contract with the label home of the likes of legends such as Nick Drake and John Martyn, a BBC Radio 1 playlisted single in the very excellent "Keep Your Head Up" which we will explore much later, an army of devoted followers that have led to numerous sold-out headline gigs in not only the UK but also in France, Germany and Holland and a fifty minutes long 10-track debut LP that is one of the BEST ALBUMS OF 2011... His name is Ben Howard and the album is called Every Kingdom.
This is a long over-due feature and after I am done, you will see why I still felt the need to share this with you, 3 months later. Some of you may already know this artist, dare I say you should and for some, she will be totally new, so let me give you a little bit of background info.
ASA is a Singer/Songwriter (Government name: Bukola Elemide) who was born in Paris, France and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. It was while in Nigeria, that she started singing and discovered music but it was not until she moved back to Paris during her adult life, that she found and formed her musical style. Her Musical influences include Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, Erykah Badu, D'Angelo, Lauryn Hill, Rafel Saadiq as well as Angelique Kidjo and you can actually tell from her songs that she does not just say this. So when we say ASA's music is a fusion of Pop, Soul, R&B, World, Funk & Reggae, it is exactly that, all beautifully sung in Yoruba and English.
I must confess that I was not a fan of her début self-titled album 'Asa (Asha)', there was just something missing that I could not quite place my finger on, although I could not deny how beautiful and soulful her voice was. With her sophomore album 'Beautiful Imperfection' which came out last October in Europe & Africa and is soon to be released in the UK & US, I must say I am quite flawed. It's everything working well together; her sound, the music, the elements of live music, the well thought out lyrics, the story in every song and the emotions they evoke. This album is bright and happy while still remaining soulful. I give this album a 9/10 without question. But I'm rambling on, you listen for yourself.
This first song is titled 'Maybe' and I absolutely love it. I love the blend of Acoustic Pop and Soul music; the lush piano chords and the soft guitar riffs; the drums patterns and the perfectly arranged backing vocals. This song is simply beautiful and it gives you so much assurance and inner peace, well it gives me so much assurance and inner peace anyway. Add that amazing voice and what she is saying on the record into the mix and you can't help but fall in love with this song.
"I'm gonna be myself, and nobody can, nobody can stop me. I'll finally be, who I'll be"
This second song is titled 'Dreamer Girl (Have You Ever Heard)' on which she encourages you to dream, because maybe someday, that elusive day we all hope for (like when I win the lottery and become a millionaire) will eventually come to pass. Asa's stripped-down acoustic sound really shines through on this and the melody of this song is without question the best on the album. This song is actually my personal favourite, primarily because I can relate. As with this one, quite a lot of songs on this album are very relatable and on songs like 'Bimpe' and 'Ore', you almost think this might be a personal story for her.
"You might think, that she is a bit naive when she says that someday she'll be queen. Is it impossible, is it a crime or is it a silly state of mind"
This next song is called 'Baby Gone' and it's four heavenly minutes of Blues-infused slow tempo guitar-driven soul music. I love this song especially because it's from the perspective of a woman who's lost her significant other and desperately wants him back, usually it's the other way round with the male character wanting the woman back so it's good to hear the contrast. This song is so raw, brutally honest and very sad, it's hard not to appreciate this. Asa's voice, the musical arrangements and harmonies evoke so much passion and the pain in this song resonates with me. Can I just say mention the violin solo from 2:30 minutes? Mentioned...
"I wish I kissed you deeper, can we find a way? A way. My baby is gone, gone, gone"
Lastly and not in the least by any chance, I thought I ought to share a more upbeat song to end things just right. A little less up-beat than the official lead single for the album 'Be Your Man' but equally as happy is the very catchy summery tune, 'Why Can't We'. This definitely makes you want to move your feet, the way only a good Pop song can make you do. I love the horns & drums combination on this one, they give the song so much energy just at the right moments and it reminds me of a Disney song and a Jack Johnson song all at the same time if that's even possible. Very enjoyable!
"What is life about? Did nobody tell you. The reason why I ask, I can see you are so confused. You worry much about the things you cannot see. You have it all with your money, you still complain"
This album is as perfect as they come. I did not skip a single track on this record and I suspect you wouldn't either. Even if you do not understand the songs in Yoruba, I am sure that the melodies, harmonies of the songs and the quality of music on 'Beautiful Imperfection' will keep you listening. ASA's voice is soooo beautiful and you'll find yourself in a very peaceful place when you listen to this album so I encourage you to definitely purchase this album at the jump.
Asa's Beautiful Imperfection is released in the UK on the 4th of April, 2011 and in America during the Fall.
There should be a rule sometime in the near future banning lazy writers from owning/managing/editing websites or any form of publication, maybe that will kick me into shape! I've been away for a bit, haven't I? We could go back and forth with the blaming games on this but what would that solve heh? Anyhoo right into the reason I'm here today...
I received an email on the 25TH of June (Yes! A month ago so #dearartists I'm really not ignoring your music, oh except if its really awful then YES I'm ignoring it! Alas I digress) from a French West Indian alternative/indie-soul artist & beat-maker based in New York by the name ofCilla Kabout her debut album, 'Fine Line' which was released in April and then she also went on to list a few Online Editors that have been so kind as to review her work... In this list included some of my favourite websites such as Above & Beyond Magazine, Soul:UK & This is Real Music and so I thought I'd pay particular attention to this lady and her music.
I have been listening to 'Fine Line' for close to a month now and it is a thoroughly enjoyable body of work. I rarely ever use 'enjoyable' to describe music (even though I think I should more often) but its the Summer and if you're not listening to Music that you are enjoying then there must be a problem. Having said that, I still wanna be able to appreciate the music I'm listening to. Note that appreciating & enjoying music are two different things... I enjoy & appreciate Cilla K's 'Fine Line'.
I'll just show you a couple (or 3) reasons why and if you're a regular listener of our radio show on Melody One, you will have heard these reasons already but yeah let's listen to some music...
"You've got the face of an angel but I know you're an evil child." - Cilla K
Something about this record apart from the title 'Evil Child' grabs you immediately you hear it... Alright, maybe not immediately but I guarantee you once you've hit the chorus, you cannot get that line outta your head and the harmony on this as well gets me. The combination of those light drums patterns & what I think are lead guitar strings gives Cilla K the haunting & captivating musical backdrop she needs to make this record work and she doesn't disappoint on those vocals... I really really like this song, what do you make of it?
Lemme know what you think of this next one as well yeah?
This record 'Black & White' sounds so different from the other songs on the album & I'm not saying that it doesn't quite fit into this album BUT it does have a certain different feel to it that's not on the rest of the album (it may just be me so you can tell me if I'm wrong when you listen to the album) and it's certainly not a bad thing, it's just an observation. It sounds more 'Summery R&B-ish' than 'Alternative Indie-Soul-ish' if that makes any sense. I really like this song & you can hear the beauty in what she's doing with those drum patterns & guitar strings again, this time with the right touch of piano keys... Simple sounds but the effects are amazing to my ears (you need to plug in headphones to hear these guitar strings in all that accentuated glory)
All in all, 'Fine Line' is 15-tracks of GOOD Music without saying too many words! Cilla K's dreamy vocals, the amazing melodies & harmonies and of course the very impressive production on this album make it one that you should definitely check out. From the two records we've already shared with you, to other stand-out tracks such as the very enjoyable 'Lost in You', the hard-thumping Hip-Hop influenced title-track 'Fine Line' and the 'Drive You Home' remix which we're about to listen to, this is so worth your time!!!
"Tell me have you lost your way boy" - Cilla K
'Drive You Home Remix' was my stand-out record from the album when I first listened to it but now I'm undecided as I quite like 'Evil Child' a whole lot but this is still a stand-out record by any measure! Those horns are simply the business & Cilla K's vocal harmonizing shines through on this record
You can stream the whole 'Fine Line' album for free via Cilla K'sMyspace Pageand so you should! I reckon you'll like it so I've included the purchase link for 'Fine Line' right below for your perusal! It's only $5.99 (around £3.50)
