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Rabu, 9 Mei 2012

Yuna - Google Blog Search

Yuna - Google Blog Search

<b>Yuna</b> – Africa is a Country

Posted: 08 May 2012 08:03 AM PDT

Malaysian singer-songwriter Yunalis Zarai sings here in the classic tradition of seafaring island people: the lyrics use the metaphors of water, swimming, and voyaging as an invitation to love. What is different about her words is that it is typically the male figure who approaches the woman, captured in the 'island' figure, and the invitation is for her to leave her safety, and be engulfed by the intemperate, vast, and living thing that surrounds her. Instead, Yuna's words are aimed towards a boy, to whom she beckons.

And she is a headscarf-wearing, leather-jacket sporting Muslim. Yeah, the scarves are tied in knots that would make Erykah Badu take a deep breath.

Yuna sings with the heart-breaking, but sweet (without being saccharine) tonals that remind one of indie-pop singer Feist. Coastals all along the eastern and southern seaboards of Africa have familial, ancestral, and deep cultural ties to Muslims from the island nations of South Asia; in fact, looking at Yuna, I can hardly differentiate her face from mine, or that of many of my friends in Cape Town.

Although she has an unfortunate way of describing herself as a "cross between Mary Poppins and Coldplay," we'll put those dalliances down to youthful exuberance. Pharrell Williams just produced her new single, "Live Your Life", and if he has anything to do with it, her sound will be catchy, her songs will have great hooks, but it won't be arena-pop. She's going to be big.

Album Review: <b>Yuna</b> – <b>Yuna</b> « Consequence of Sound

Posted: 09 May 2012 04:57 AM PDT

In a 2009 Q&A with Malaysian website Voize, singer-songwriter Yuna described her sound as "a cross between Coldplay and Mary Poppins." This was apparently said with neither guile nor guilt, and, to be sure, it's not an inaccurate assessment. The thing is, it's impossible to imagine a world in which such an amalgamation is a good thing.

Since 2006, Yuna has been making pop music in Malaysia, attracting plenty of fans, including the US-based management team that signed her, landed her a record deal via Fader, and is now attempting to translate that into success stateside. Now, Malaysian pop stars — or, really, any Asian pop stars, for that matter — haven't had a successful track record here, but that's often been ascribed to language barriers or stylistic incompatibilities (and, no, the fact that K-Pop is a thing doesn't negate any of this). Yuna, however, makes music that is not only sung in English, but also manages to embody the most anodyne and accessible aspects of Western adult contemporary pop.

With a lilting, childlike voice that resembles that of the Sundays' Harriet Wheeler–but with less strength or personality–and a preference for simplistic musical arrangements that are pleasant in a shopping-at-the-Gap kind of way, Yuna attempts to evoke a gentle, adult-indie sensibility, but she wound up creating a wisp of an album that's ultimately insubstantial.

A more forceful singer could have effectively balanced the muted swing-and-sway of "See You Go" or the jazzy, ukelele-backed swoon of "Bad Day" with a delivery that imparted some emotional strength on these somnambulant arrangements. Contrarily, when given a beefier, more complex backing–such as on the Massive Attack-quoting slow-burn of "Lullabies"–Yuna's whisper of a voice doesn't even help paint a sonic picture.

While her backstory may certainly be compelling, Yuna's music is not. It's far from awful, but it's equally far from interesting, muddling about in that dull netherworld of music that sounds good while you're waiting for your coffee, but is forgotten as soon as you walk out of the cafe.

Essential Tracks: "Lullabies"
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