Pearls

I urge all those drawn to Contemporary Pop Music to give this album a listen. You just might discover, as I did, a singular vocalist free of the trappings of modern production models.

Highlights for me are “Walk On the Wild Side,” “Killing Me Softly”, “Purple Rain”, “High & Dry” and the title song, “Pearls”.

Lou Reed’s tour de force gets a superb treatment here with a “plucky” bass line pushed by the martial drumming running beneath the edgy lyrics, while the guitar carries on with its wah-wah effects. Aisyah aims high here and hits all the notes in her distinctive “chirruped” voice. All of this takes place amid an air of jollity.

Next up, after an unaccompanied vocal intro, the electric piano, drums and bass create a seductively nostalgic atmosphere for the song, “Killing Me Softly,” that launched hundreds of thousands of sales for Roberta Flack. Aisyah makes it her own. Fabian Lim’s sax lends color to the mix, adding just the right amount of retro, noirish feel. Closing out the side, Prince’s signature song,

“Purple Rain,” finds Aisyah opening in the middle register with only piano accompaniment. It’s not long before she again takes the high road and finds guitar and bass filling in beneath her soaring voice. A beautiful bass solo follows and leads into wordless warbling. This soon becomes a showcase for Aisyah's lithe singing style before the song ends with more fine bass work.

“High & Dry,” a hit for Radiohead, gets a rather straightforward treatment, with an intimate intro bathed in cherub-like electronic effects leading into the body of the song, which proceeds at a leisurely pace until the spoken ending, which segues into Billie Eilish’s “Bellyache,” itself delivered with ample amounts of little-girl charm.

The title song, “Pearls,” features some fine alto-sax work by Lim, tasteful bass from Colin Young, and Aisyah in an often surprisingly sultry voice.

Pearls is a welcome addition to Groove Note's unique catalogue of Jazz, Blues, Vocal, Classical and World Music.

Aisyah sounds somewhat of a blend between Billie Eilish and Adele. Okay more so Billie Eilish, and not much like Adele. But she has a voice that can draw you in. A great recording too.