Arts & Entertainment
 

Siren returns at top of musical form

Record explodes with talent, artistry but slips into stores under popular radar

By Udochi Igbokwe
The Daily Cougar

Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets in the music industry, Amel Larrieux is back and sounding better than ever, this time on a new label, Bliss Life Records. Larrieux first garnered attention as the singing half of critically acclaimed jazz-tinged r&b duo Groove Theory.

Larrieux is a singer-songwriter, part-time model and is still hovering just below the mainstream as a "great unknown." She has appeared in a host of high-profile ad campaigns for Coke, Coach and Mercedes Benz.

Larrieux's first solo album Infinite Possibilities gained her critical acclaim with its release in 1999. She later went on to work with The Roots, Mos Def, Sweetback and Musiq. As a songwriter she has contributed to a number of film soundtracks, including Barbershop, Love Jones, Down To Earth and Sunset Park.

After a four-year hiatus, Amel Larrieux is back with her sophomore effort, Bravebird. With 12 tracks sure to please neo-soul, acid jazz and r&b fans, this album might be one of the most underrated albums of 2004 considering its very low-profile release.

In Bravebird, Larrieux reaches beyond her deep groove roots and stretches out toward a raw, folksy vibe to create an album that represents the earthy organic side of soul. On first listen this album can be a little standoffish, so fans shouldn't expect the same sounds from her first record Infinite Possibilities. This album is to Larrieux what the album Embrya was to Maxwell and as Voodoo was to D'Angelo -- simply brilliant.

Bravebird is a window into another region of Larrieux's world, a world that reflects deep-rooted experience in the urban ghettos of the world, it also reflects an elegance of soul that can only come from a true inner beauty. Songs like "For Real," "All I Got" and "Dear To Me" among others fuse acoustic and electric guitar, drums and chimes with Larrieux's angelic voice.

One of the most interesting songs on this album is "Congo." The song is the singer's melodic wish to go to Africa, "where we made music in remembrance of human bodies sold." 

Amel's eclectic beats are both intelligent and swinging. Filled with themes that range from love, sadness and social consciousness, Bravebird is pure listening pleasure all the way.

Bravebird is gutsy and unafraid to conceal a thirst for experimenting with timing and rhythm. Larrieux co-wrote and produced the entire album with her husband. 

Knocking around in the mix are the elasticity and heartbreak of Billie Holiday's jazz, the deep soul of post-Motown r&b, the defiance of country rockers like Bonnie Raitt and the modern urban-pop know-how of Alicia Keys.

Amel Larrieux

Bravebird

Bliss Life Records

The verdict: A sweet, soothing and commendable record from an artist that exudes immense musical talent.
 
 

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