Track Listing

1. Looking for the Sun
2. Slippin'
3. Nobody Knows Me
4. You're Not the Only One
5. Uptown
6. 45 Parade Place
7. I'll Never Give In
8. Do What You Want
9. Afterhours
10. Uptown [Dub]
11. Put Your Faith in Us
12. Sean
13. Curtain Call
14. Lullaby for Stephen

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19905 in Music
• Released on: 2004-05-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

Customer Reviews

This "Flower" Blooms.
I've been a close follower of the Naked Music label for over two years, so when I came across Aya's release, I had to run and get it. I really liked her in the deep-house project Blue Six, and thought she did a decent job as one of the vocalists in Sweetback's otherwise flawed second LP. Those who are familiar with their work as well as Aquanote (another act on the Naked Music label) will find little to find fault with when they check out "Strange Flower." This is a disc of unpretentious r&b with a few subtle touches of jazz; the skillful production smartly works around Aya's voice, which is somewhat limited in range but is otherwise appealing. "Uptown" and "You're Not the Only One" best represent the disc's overall laidback vibe, and the same can be said for "Put Your Faith in Us" and "Do What You Want." It's been a while since we've heard anything from this label, but Aya comes out strong with a fine record that doesn't disappoint.

strange flower smells beautiful
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.

Delicious and approachable ambient music.
I'm soon opening a contemporary restaurant in Santa Barbara, and so I've been trolling around for high quality ambient music...Aya, and this CD "Strange Flower" certainly count as that. Sumptuous lyrics, non-offensive percussion, and intelligently patterned rhythm, combine to create a near-perfect ambient album.

For those who love this CD and are looking for something similar, consider the following artists:

Blue 6 - probably my favorite album of the year (they only made one)

Caia - appeared on zero 7's album. swedish (i think), and has one of the most unique of voices

Nude Dimensions,

Projections, and,

Miguel Migs

All ambient; all excellent.

Enjoy,

Christian Hunter
Santa Barbara, California