Maysa - Out of the Blue

List Price: $17.98
Our Price: $9.39
You Save: $8.59 (48%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $6.93 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases

Music CD Cover

Free Music Notes for Out of the Blue

Free Music Review: Maysa offers a musical oasis with "Out of the Blue"
Hit: 5 Stars

Make no mistake, her tenure with Incognito (not to mention Incognito leader Jean-Paul "Bluey" Maunick producing her second solo disc, "All My Life") has left an unmistakable mark on Maysa's music. The band's Brazilian leanings have rubbed off, and Maysa puts them to excellent use on the sensuous "Friendly Pressure" and the samba-flavored title track...and in these modern times of guest rappers subbing for solos, it's nothing short of euphoria to hear guitar and flute (respectively) get time in the spotlight. Tropical rhythms again reign supreme on "Simple Life," a seductive charmer that boasts a Will Downing vocal, and the fluid "Blue Horizon" gently pulsates and sounds like the soundtrack for an island getaway.

Like most other adult R&B aficianados, Maysa has a strong sense of the past, utilized here on an irresistible club reworking of Sly and the Family Stone's "Family Affair," as well as a smooth-as-silk reading of Earth Wind & Fire's "Head to the Sky." Maysa's delivery on the EWF tune is proof positive that an artist need not write the material to give an emotional, soulful performance: "Head to the Sky" is one of her finest, most technically solid vocals to date, and her addition of the Prayer of Jabez at the end makes the song undeniably her own. But don't think that Maysa is stuck in the past: not only can she keep up with the times, but she knows how to keep her artistic integrity while doing so. The end result is classy, soulful songs with modern touches rather than trendy production passing for songwriting. Case in point: seductive ballads "Everything" and "If It's Love" have rhythms and arrangements that sound as up-to-the-minute as anything, but they're laid behind compositions that are complete and mature ideas. The devestatingly sexy "Right Here, Right Now" is makeout music for grownups and succeeds at both mood and composition. The album's biggest triumph, however, is a song that could easily fit on MTV: "Mr. So Damn Fine" is a clever, confident attack on a player ("Did you really think you blew my mind? Sorry, but you didn't even come close") and the song's beats are as heavy as its melody is catchy...the end result is something ten times as fresh and entertaining as anything Ashanti, Tweet, and Alicia Keys combined could come up with. And through all of these musical moods, the one constant is her smoky, one-of-a-kind voice, and we're further treated to a diva with an exceptional upper register: even when pinning notes to the ceiling, Maysa never has to push to hit a note, and even her highest notes sound effortless.

To completely round out the material onhand, "Osaka" is a touching track in which Maysa tells the story of her son being born prematurely while she was on tour in Japan: "I was so afraid/so, so alone/the love of my family far back home." In a time of overt posturing and posing in music, this glimpse into Maysa's most personal emotions is a breath of fresh air. Then again, the same can be said of the whole project. Whether letting us in on her romantic desires, spiritual standards or dedication to family, Maysa's "Out of the Blue" is a fresh and much-needed oasis in the midst of modern music.

Blues Music CDs

• Music > Styles
• Jazz
• Pop
• R&B