Music maturity

The three CDs today all possess a fine veneer of musical maturity. In the case of Usher, we can chalk that up in part to marriage and fatherhood. With Sandi Thom, there’s a worldy-wise mingling of straight-ahead rock and country. Asa is my discovery of the year, so far. A Nigerian born singer-songwriter now residing in Paris, she displays a range that belies her young age and the fact that this is her first CD.

Usher: Here I Stand (Sony BMG). The big surprise here is that Here I Stand is not some world-banging funk groove CD from Usher Raymond. At first listen, his legion of fans may be a bit confused by all the mid-tempo tunes and ballads, and even feel betrayed or let down. But if you listen to the CD repeatedly, it will grow on you, and one will discover just how much of a gem the CD is. Beyond the carrier singles Love In This Club and Moving Mountains, there’s a whole load of excellent music on the CD, with 18 tracks listed. The interlude Prayer For You has Usher’s child cooing in the background, but the thing is, the song works even without the cuteness. There’s a wonderful, slowed-down and sexier version of Love In This Club with Beyoncé Knowles and Lil Wayne. This is diversity and variety, with nods to such legends as Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder, all wrapped up  with quality and thought — the sound and look of mainstream R&B in 2008.

Sandi Thom: The Pink & the Lily (Sony BMG). You pose for your CD with flashy guitar in hand, and being a woman, you invite comparison to KT Turnstall. Well, Sandi Thom may have been written about in terms of mingling rock and folk; but for my money, there’s more of a nod to country than folk in the new CD of hers. The Pink & the Lily may not break new ground, or turn Sandi into a new rock messiah (or whatever the female term may be), but this is a solid album, one that finds her songwriting skills in fine form. In fact, on some of the twangy midtempo tunes and ballads, it’s easy to think of these songs being picked up by the likes of Dolly Parton, Crystal Gayle, or Shania Twain. I especially liked Beatbox, Sucess’ Ladder, and Music In My Soul. The faster tunes are vintage rockabilly numbers, like the sort of tunes Elvis Presley would have sung in his heyday. There’s a distinctly retro feel to the CD, and that really seems to be the trend nowadays: part homage, part updating and retelling. Not my everyday kind of music, but I do understand its appeal.

Asa (asha) (Naive/Dramatico Records). I came upon Asa on a Channel V show about new singer-songwriters. She was shown singing Mr. Jailer in a studio, and the music, a mix of reggae and folk, had me reaching for the PC, to find out more about her.  It was great, like the first time I heard Fast Car by Tracy Chapman. There was something plaintive, and yet appealing, about her approach to music. A Nigerian by birth, and now recording out of Paris, Asa is a real find. She masterfully blends political messages with really strong melodies. I had a friend look for her CD abroad, and can only hope someone picks it up for local distribution. Fire on the Mountain is the other immediate favorite, and it talks of oil companies and how they “rape” the land along the Niger delta. Some tracks are sung in her native Yoruba, but they’re just as accessible as the ones sung in English. If you like India.Arie, Wyclef Jean, Bob Marley, Lauryn Hill and Macy Gray, you will appreciate Asa and her musical vision. This is pop, folk, reggae and soul, all placed in a blender.