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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
strange flower smells beautiful, May 16, 2004
when i first learned that the airy, dreamy voice behind Blue Six's "sweeter love" was going to release her solo album on Naked Music, i was excited. then my excitement turned to sheer joy when i found out Jay Denes (Blue Six) was going to produce the whole damn thing.
can you say "match made in heaven"?Aya is but one voice among the stable of female vocalists associated with Jay Denes and the Naked Music label (including Lisa Shaw, Monique Bingham, Catherine Russell to name a few), each and every one of them deserving their own solo project. but now is Aya's time to shine.
shunning big offers from the major labels, Aya chose instead to go the indy route, knowing well that she would get considerably less press and sales in the end, but it didn't matter as long her vision for what the album should be wasn't comprimised. and we, the listeners, are the better for it. 01. looking for the sun: a great dubby opener. i say "dubby" cos there's no real lyrics in this one, it's more just a few words here n there. effective nonetheless, and a great setup for what kind of sound this album is crafting. 02. slippin': a wonderful acoustic piece. Aya's power is not a booming diva-like voice, as you will notice on this track first and foremost, but rather the art of subtlty and effective nuances (eg. her "oohs and aahs"). 03. nobody knows me: the second half of this track is where the real meat is, when the sound segues into a Marvin Gay-esque "i'm gonna love u always/u could be my one and only" harmonied repitition. the way the song changes throughout the duration is admirable. 04. you're not the only one: the pace starts to pick up again with this conga-driven track. you'll start to notice around here that Jay has used basically the same drum kit for all the tracks, as well incorporating congas & dijembes with the atmospheric synths. a monotonous formula, but it's done so well you won't even notice. 05. uptown: this track is perfect. bump it on either the dancefloor or the lounge room. is highly infectious and manages to make it a song for all occasions. this is what pop music *should* sound like. 06. 45 parade place: this track is TOO SHORT. it's extremely lush, with shades of Sade, but with slightly more erotic lyrics this time around, lyrics which made me go "whaaa??!!" if there was a picture of the album cover on this site, you'd know that Aya definitely has it goin on in the looks department. and hearing her say things like "feels so nice when ya...f**k/rub my body" just drives me wild. 07. i'll never give in: another fast ballad, Aya talks about sticking to her lover, even if it is a "twisted love". some more great vocal nuances from Aya to keep your attention full-well til the end of the track. 08. do what you want: on the production tip, i like the obvious throwback sound of this track, which utilises the classic 808 drum machine with those recognisable snares & kicks that defined the 80's so well. thematically it's different from the so-far romance-driven lyrics, instead this time it deals with friendship and lack thereof, although one can interpret the lyrics to mean a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship as well. solid mid-tempo song. 09. afterhours: Aya takes us back in time to the song that started it all. if you don't recognise the lyrics, you should be shot. 10. uptown dub: Jay shows us why he's the master of his realm. although i would've preferred a completely new track in its place, considering we already got this on the "uptown" single. 11. put your faith in us: another solid mid tempo. listen for the first bar of when the bass kicks in, awesome. 12. sean: sounds like an open letter to a current or past lover. the final fast-paced song on the album, but certainly not the worst, displaying one of the catchiest hooks i've ever heard. 13. curtain call: winding the album down now, Aya does what she does best, providing some stunningly seductive vocals, in this case, to end this wonderful journey that is "strange flower". 14. lullaby for stephen: on who stephen is, i can only guess (perhaps her son?), but this track is elegantly beautiful in its simplicity, with Aya basically singing a wordless lullaby to doze the listener into peaceful sleep. yet, the inflections in her voice makes it more of a haunting experience, making you feel sleepy, but sad at the same time. maybe, like us, she's mourning the fact that the album has to end...? V.
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~ Blue 6
~ Gaelle
~ Naked Music NYC
~ Lisa Shaw
by Aya 
