Zoya
The Girl Who Used To Live In My Room
Zoya Mohan Music
With
a birthplace in India and a current home base in California, Zoya brings
diverse vocals and eclectic instrumentation from around the contemporary world
on her latest venture into quaint and quirky pop music on The Girl Who Used To Live In My Room. The ten-track release possesses a hint of
South Asian influences with neo-classical strings, varied percussion, and wind
instrumentation, while the other half of the influences stem from European or
North American folk, roots, and pop.
“What’s
Done Is Done” opens with a soft, keyboard medley, swishy percussion, and a
flute before Zoya’s slightly husky vocals commence in a sort of jazz standard
arrangement. A few cymbals crash and a
snare drum add to the percussive effects. The drums, flute, cymbals, keyboards, and
strings add to the full sound. Though,
the track is only two-minutes long. Still, the song is impressive and Zoya’s voice
is enticing.
“Swim”
opens with an atmospheric wash and jazzy sax with scintillating, vibraphone
sounds and Zoya’s jazzy, slightly R&B vocals in a down-tempo vein. The sounds are jazzy, urban, dreamy, and
intriguing with influences mainly stemming from an edgy jazz or trip-hop
foundation. Zoya’s back-up vocalists are equally amazing by filling in the
melodies and rhythms. The jaunty song
brings out smooth and sultry jazz influences indicative of a Colombian or
Brazilian origin. Importantly, Zoya’s eclectic arrangements make the song stand
out no matter what genre it may fit in.
“Hold
On” begins with a few guitar strums, a sweeping vibraphone melody, breathy
flute or clarinet, and Zoya’s achingly-beautiful vocals. The flute sounds are rather vibrant
throughout, while the acoustic guitar rhythm sets the base for the vibraphone
sounds with are very dreamy. Zoya’s vocals are not too unlike that of Zero 7. The four-and-a-half-minute composition
contains jazzy improvisation the last minute of the song.
“She
Was” begins with a jaunty, acoustic guitar medley that is very organic and
earthy, while a rustling percussive sound and string slide begins the vocal
portion of the song. Zoya’s vocals are
rather theatrical amidst the diverse guitar stylings, various percussion, and
slightly Middle Eastern and flamenco-tinged arrangements. The jazzy, back-up vocals are a perfect
backdrop to Zoya’s vocals, as the song matures into an instrumental frenzy
before four-minutes into the song. The song ends with a lighter mix of vocals,
airy sounds, and clicking percussion.
“The
Girl Who Used To Live In My Room” begins with a raw, acoustic guitar melody
with sounds of kids playing early on in the song. Zoya’s vocals are rather airy and poetic. A variety of string and horn sounds lend a
jazzy substance to the mix. The
five-minute song is poignant, delicate, and intricate in a more structured
manner than anything composed by Regina Spektor. At any rate, the title track
is full of edgy percussion, Middle Eastern-like instrumental arrangements, and
a theatrical vein that is rather chaotic (in a good way) by the end of the
song.
Zoya’s
new album provides listeners with a sassy and sensual voice that seemingly
changes contemporary pop and world music for the better. The down-tempo, jazz-laden, and R&B-esque
vocalizations are poetic and theatrical.
The instrumental arrangements are rather short, but diverse. For example, there are various wind
instrument sounds, vibraphone additions, and sporadic strings that are performed
in non-traditional manners, which showcase Zoya’s creative edge
throughout. This is not a pop, rock,
classical, new age, urban, or artsy album.
Zoya’s new work is rather indescribable, but it incorporates the vocal
similarities of Katie Melua and Zero 7 with the instrumental aptitude of an
eclectic or alternative songstress yearning for something more.
Review
by Matthew Forss
Rating:
5 Stars (out of 5)
Raya Brass Band
