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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.
-Sharon
Jones
Austin Daze
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