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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
6 stars out of 5!!!, February 8, 2008
Tracklisting for this CD is as follows;
1. Jailer
2. 360
3. Bi'ban ké
4. Subway
5. Fire on the mountain
6. Eyé àdaba
7. No one knows
8. Awé
9. Peace
10. So beautiful
11. Iba
Asa (pronounced Asha) is a 25 year old Nigerian guitarist/songstress with an amazing smoky smooth voice (a bit like Macy Gray or Erykah Badu) and a folk/soul/jazz style akin to Tracy Chapman, India.Arie, Norah Jones, or even Lauryn Hill on her MTv Unplugged disc. I discovered her eponymous debut only last week (after my brother had raved about it) and it is fantastic; breezy acoustic guitar driven music with lovely harmonies, and largely philosophical lyrics. Her enunciation is crisp and clear, and the musicianship and production is top notch! She grew up listening to Marvin Gaye, Fela Kuti, and Bob Marley (among others), has played with artistes like Tony allen, Les Nubians, and Manu Dibango, and has opened for John Legend, Akon and Beyoncé.
Sung mainly in English, with some singing in Yoruba, the songs touch on injustice (the acoustic, reggae tinged bouncy "Jailer"), uncertainties of life ("No one knows", with ethereal harmonies and ever so faint scratching set to a bubbly bass line), alarm at the state of society (the light acoustic "Fire on the mountain" with lyrics like "Hey Mr soldier man /Tomorrow is the day you go to war /But you are fighting for another man's cause /And you don't even know him /What did he say to make you so blind ?" - It has a slight Bob Marley feel), and love (the tender jazzy "Subway").
"360" is an ambient sounding acoustic ballad. Similar is "Bi'ban ké", a love song done in English and Yoruba. The fittingly titled "Eyé àdaba" (dove in Yoruba) is a soft ballad with calming strings. "Awé" is a soaring jazzy ballad with finger snaps, while "Peace" is reggae tinged.
Standouts to me are the closing pair of songs; the ode to her mother "So beautiful" (outstandingly sung in English and Yoruba, it is a tempo shifting acoustic ballad/Highlife tune sprinkled ever so lightly with talking drums) is so heartfelt, and "Iba" (a tender acoustic ballad sung in Yoruba, with a soothing vocal performance) closes this perfect disc. I do not speak Yoruba, but no understanding is needed with music this beautiful.
These songs are awesome; words alone cannot do justice to them. I haven't been this excited about music in a bit. Asa is definitely going to go places, and I urge everyone to go get this CD, you'll definitely be in awe. I look forward to much more from her.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Nigerians are coming!, March 6, 2008
With a recent appearance on Jools Holland''s late night show on BBC2 and AOL UK naming her one of twelve female artistes to look out for in 2008, Paris-born Nigerian Asa's self-titled album is one of the most talked-about in a long while. At least, here in the UK it is. "The pop revelation of Nigerian soul!" is how the sticker label on the front of her CD proclaims her but I'm not sure I would go that far. Which isn't to suggest she isn't soulful at all because she most definitely is, but she reminds me more of someone like Wyclef Jean than any soul artiste I can think of. Still, she displays a unique combination of pop, soul, r&b, world and reggae here and it's really very appealing.
Asa's also been getting plenty of practice on the live circuit, having already opened, apparently, for people as A-list as Beyonce, Akon, Snoop Dogg and John Legend. But it's really thanks to my good Amazon Friend, Nse, that this lady's CD found its way into my collection; if it hadn't been for his excellently written and glowing review of this album (see below), I honestly may not have heard of her or paid her any attention even if I had. He left me gagging to get my hands on it.
Asa weaves her way through songs of defiance, hope, life and wonder, sometimes in English and sometimes in Yoruba - a step I truly admire but a step that might limit her listener numbers nevertheless. Once again, it's all live instruments and lots of strings. She has a very sweet singing voice and I was swept along by her passionate and joyful delivery. I particularly love "Subway", "Eyé Àdabá" and "No One Knows Tomorrow". She wrote most of the songs herself, except for "Fire On The Mountain", "Jailer", "No One Knows" & "Subway", where she had help from Cobhams Asuquo, who produced the album, played a lot of the instruments and did a lot of the programming on it. Asa herself only played (acoustic guitar) on two of the ten tracks here ("Awé" and "So Beautiful") and I thought that was a bit odd, considering that she carries the guitar in almost every inner-sleeve shot, not to mention practically every publicity photo I've seen of her so far. Ah, well. Maybe she uses it primarily to write and when she performs live.
But it's all good and I'm very glad I bought the CD, so I'm very grateful to Brother Nse. It's really great fun to listen to. With this album and another very promising one called African Girl by Nayo coming out soon, it looks like this year, the Nigerians are coming. About bl**dy time.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superbe! Classic! This album is on repeat in my music library!, February 1, 2009
There are times when you see something thought-provoking, hear an illuminating sound, or smell an intriguing scent, and you know that something about it just moves you and connects in a way that is rare.
I love it! That is how I felt when I heard the sound and music of Asa [pronounced Asha]. Her sound is so different and unexpected, and her music so fresh, that it was impossible for me not to go looking for more information about her, and to make sure to add everything that she has done to my budding collection. She has an important point of view and the message is unmistakeable in her music.
And I can't decide on which song is my favourite on her album...I've rarely been in this quandry (So Beautiful is the favourite of the minute, with Jailer, Fire on the mountain, 360 degrees, Bibanké, Subway, No one knows, Awé, and Peace coming in very close seconds!!)
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