“ Aliah Selah's second album Shades Of Images is as eclectic and beautiful as the life she has lead. As a peace activist, visual artist, songwriter, musician and performer. Aliah speaks of empowerment, transformation, and awareness. The album mixes her gorgeous voice with the delicate poetry of her words. Added is a pop-rock, almost 70's sound that has the power and immediate sense of now.
The music is both timeless and current, rambunctious yet meditative.
Fans of Joni Mitchell will surely appreciate Aliah Selah,
she is a new force to be reckoned with.”

-Trevor Watson
Vision Magazine
San Diego/LA Area
October 2003

Aliah Selah
Shades of Images
Spiral On Productions 

          Aliah Selah’s sophomore release Shades of Images is layered with radio-ready pop rock gems, jazzy contemporary smoothies and danceable contagious rave/rock. This album has brought out Aliah’s sultrier gypsy-temptress side, while still remaining grounded by her earth mother wisdom. Her critically acclaimed debut CD, Acoustic Perfume, featured on local radio stations (KUT, KGSR, KLBJ, KOOP, KVRX, & KTSW) and was sold-out to new age and pagan herb and book stores, midwives, massage therapists, and crystal toting Lilith Fair women.

          This new collection of songs is Aliah's best work to date, thick with lush vocal harmonies and revealing an array of styles that will offer her music to an even a wider audience. The dimensions of her sound and her ability to write songs that are easy to relate to, should cause this album to sell-out quickly, just like her debut album did.

          Shades of Images opening track “Little Shelf” starts unfolding atmospherically - providing a surreal backdrop for the mystery implied by Aliah’s siren whisper as she lures the wandering traveler to her shores. The rest of the songs lead you through vocal surprises and lush arrangements of easy music to listen to... drift off to... and dance to. Each tune glides into the next in a cosmic flow of jazzy vocal lines, that can also rock with a psychedelic edge on cuts like “What Is So?” and “Dig Deep” both modern stand-out tracks, with major commercial appeal.

          The title track “Shades Of Images”; is about a shoe box of poetry that's collected throughout the years and has the luminous quality of acknowledging, if not celebrating, growth through mistakes. Aliah's poetic vocals echo raw honesty, whether dressed in pop radio ready arrangements or drifting off quietly to linger as on the track “Silence Fills Sound”. The yearning cry of an artist seeking solace is grounded in the jazzy soul searching of her earth angel voice. The story of “Captain Jack” (who'd “seen a little too much of life”) has a smoky, speakeasy feel. “Sweet Life” teases with an eager to please tempo, before ending interestingly with a vocal arrangement that sounds like monks chanting... fading off into the distance. “Listen” has a mid-eastern allure reminiscent of the Beatles’ guru phase, with music that feels like the swish of veils whirling seductively around the room and the twang of a lingering sitar. The track with the most original and fresh sound is “Come Alive”- popish vocals set to the continuous primal rhythms of didgeridoo and tablas where the ceaseless cadence tugs you helplessly to your feet to dance. A psychedelic infused danceable version of Joni Mitchell's “Woodstock” that Aliah calls “Back to the Garden” rounds out the album. Once again, her new CD Shades Of Images, is definitely something unique among the normal Austin scene.

          Shades Of Images was produced by Aliah herself, along with her partner Paz Rheinstein and jazz rock guitarist Mitch Watkins, (Lyle Lovett, Bruce Cockburn) whose production credits include Austin favorites Abra Moore (Arista Records) and Bob Schneider (Universal Records).  Seven of the twelve songs were recorded at Watkins’ studio The Institute with Watkins on guitars, layered pads, and drum programming, Mike Hynes (Abra Moore, Panic Choir) on fretless bass, Paz adding additional guitars & flute, and Aliah providing vocals and keys. This album has a rich, velvety weave throughout the many textures and tilts of Aliah's songwriting and story telling. The last three songs were recorded at the couple’s own Peacefarm Studios.    “What Is So?” and “Dig Deep” are performed & co-written by bassist Justin Gray who also did the drum programming and with the addition of Bruce Salmon’s (Joe Rockhead, Alejandro Escovedo) swirly, whirly synthesizers.

         Shades Of Images and the re-release of Acoustic Perfume will soon be available for purchase online www.broadjam.com/aliahselah and at Aliah's gigs as well as in record stores.  

 -Sharon Jones
Austin Daze
March /2003