The muffled voice of the Japanese-American singer / songwriter Mia Doi Todd, from Los Angeles, is recognizable out of thousands. She is not equally stable everywhere (despite a classical vocal training) but her poetic songs are always atmospheric and above all very unique. Surprisingly, her seventh album GEA appears on the Amsterdam Kindred Spirits, a label that usually focuses mainly on soul, jazz
… and hip-hop. There is therefore a change of course compared to her earlier records. While she was accompanied by indie rock musicians on her previous album Manzanita (2005), at GEA Todd's Spanish guitar strumming is complemented by subtle percussion, strings and wind instruments, a sound that recalls the warm fusion of soul, folk and jazz from the 1970s by artists such as Maria Muldaur and Minnie Riperton. The opener River Of Life / The Yes Song immediately sets the tone; it is a hypnotic piece of more than ten minutes. The pieces that follow also have an authenticity and intimacy that are reminiscent of Nick Drake's best records. That should be recommendation enough. (MS)more
