Melody Thomas checks out the electronic evolution of Anika Moa.
She has one of New Zealand’s most recognisable voices, but you've never heard her like this before.
The album is Queen at The Table, the latest from Anika Moa, and from the very first bars Moa is announcing that she’s going to try something new. The person responsible for the new bells and whistles is the album’s co-writer, engineer and co-producer Jol Mulholland, who currently joins Moa on stage playing synthesiser, sequencer, guitar, bass and an old DMX drum machine as well as backing vocals.
While much of the instrumentation is modern, the overall effect is somewhat more nostalgic. As the album unfolds I feel myself dragged back to the early 90s or the late 80s, a bit of Prince here, a bit of Mariah there. But despite all the changes, the songs are unmistakably Anika, a musician who can’t help but write from a place of honesty - fully embracing the kind of vulnerability that is far too often viewed as weakness when in fact it is a great strength.
Songs Featured: Running, If You See Her, Lover, These Lonely Tears, The Only Thing That Matters, Closer.
