Aleah: Aleah

I don’t remember when Aleah Starbridge (Aleah Liane Stanbridge) first came to my attention. It certainly had something to do with guitarist Juha Raivio’s work with her with Swallow the Sun and then, later, with Trees of Eternity. There are other appearances elsewhere, including one with Amorphis that many people enjoyed. I was especially fond of Trees of Eternity and I was definitely saddened to learn about Aleah’s untimely death in 2016.

Raivio, who was also Aleah’s life partner, has worked tirelessly to keep Aleah’s voice alive and so he’s played a significant role in bringing this album to light. This album has two parts, one acoustic and one electric. The acoustic songs are dark folk pieces that highlight Aleah’s voice nicely. It’s a cliché to describe voices like hers as “haunting,� but it’s a good word here. I like haunting voices like Aleah’s. They seem to come out of nowhere at first, just a subtle sound that beckons from far away. But they quickly turn out to be something much more tangible, something that you can’t ignore once it gets in your head. Of all the songs here, I liked “Vapour,� “Sacrifice,� “My Will,� and “Breathe� the most. I don’t know if Aleah wrote the lyrics or not, but they were consistently thoughtful and interesting.

The electric songs overlap here and there with the acoustic songs. I think fans will enjoy hearing the slightly different arrangements of songs like “Sacrifice� or “Vapour,� but I suspect the acoustic side will get a stronger overall reception.

If you liked Aleah’s other work generally, this album will definitely satisfy your interest in hearing more of what she’s done. If you’re also just curious to hear some dark songs with that smoky room sound, this should also suit you. As for me, I’m just glad to hear a little more of a voice lost too soon.

Track Listing:

Album 1: Acoustic

1. Vapour--Acoustic Version
2. Sacrifice--Acoustic Version
3. Open Sky--Acoustic Version
4. My Will--Acoustic Version
5. Breathe--Acoustic Version
6. Closing Under Pressure--Acoustic Version
7. Water and Fire--Acoustic Version
8. Terrestrial Torrents--Acoustic Version
9. Touch My Face--Acoustic Version

Album 2: Electric

10. My Will
11. Sacrifice (feat. Anilah)
12. Inverted Enlightenment
13. Vapour
14. The Tower
15. Breathe

Added: June 23rd 2020
Reviewer: Carl Sederholm
Score:
Related Link: Artist Label Page
Hits: 1015
Language: english

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