Blogarhythms

You may have noticed in a shift in focus yesterday to a more gentle sound than has been the norm around here of late. I dunno if it was supposed to counterbalance all the “ruff, rugged & raw” Hip-Hop and hipster-pleasing mixtapery I’ve been featuring, a side-effect of my favorite ladyfriend being squishiery than normal for the last few days, or just an expression of the change in weather from staggeringly humid and thundertstorm-cracked to balmy and breezy. But I do know I’m feeling pretty smooth right now, so today’s post is gonna continue the trend towards tranquility.

Today the calming effect comes courtesy of Amsterdam-based singer Giovanca and her Dox Records debut Subway Silence. Born Giovanca Ostiana, she grew into a striking beauty and an international traveler who has made name for herself as a background singer for a diverse assortment of artists that included oft-sampled Motown artist Leon Ware, under-aknowledged psychedelic Folk/Soul/Jazz fusion artist Terry Callier and previous Blogarhythms featuree Benny Sings among them. Her work with the latter lead to a full-on collaborative effort between Ostiana, Sings and his Dox Records associates, which the Subway Silence album is the result of.

Longtime readers might remember how fond I was of Benny’s …At Home album, which blended quirky lyricism, saccharine singing, cheesy Soul-inflected retro-Pop and modern programming, when it dropped last Summer. Being a product of the same label and production team Giovanca’s album takes a similar direction, fusing lusciously orchestrated old-school Jazz and Soul-flavored Pop with restrained use of samples and programmed beats. But tailored as it is towards the expression of a young feminine heart & mind, and the presence of a sophisticated female voice, it’s a bit more precocious, and the backing tracks have a feeling of sleek sterility, boasting an environment at once more spartanly decorated and more plushly upholstered than Benny’s digs.

As a songwriter and vocalist Giovanca comes off as something of an amalgam of Jill Scott, Leslie Feist and Corinne Bailey Rae, crafting soulfully jazzy Adult Contemporary Pop with the slightest of influence from the world of modern-day Hip-Hop and R&B. As such she shares some things in common with the likes of Amel Larrieux and the now defunct Floetry as well. This is all best exhibited on the shuffling, bass-driven downtempo Disco number “Joyride,” the Gonzales-esque clap-a-long (well-intentioned) stalker anthem “Hypnotize You,” the cocktail lounge-y “To the Moon,” the sensuously bittersweet flute-and-chime accented bass-bumping “Pure Bliss,” and the House-y “Free.” She even flips the Motown/Brill Building soulful Girl-Group steez so many other upcoming vocalists have latched on to on the carefree “On My Way,” and manages to put her own spin on it.

Giovanca “On My Way”

More than anything else though, Giovanca’s music feels like an antecedent of the mellow, sun-drenched fusion of Soul, Jazz and Pop championed by Minnie Riperton and her contemporaries. She may not be blessed with quite as breathtaking a vocal range as Minnie, but she sounds eerily similar to the legendary songbird at different times throughout the album, and her phrasing is often a vritual carbon copy of Riperton’s. In particular, stripped down selections like the acoustic ballad “MelancholicYou,” the enchantingly orchestrated “Moving Me” and the heart-string-tugging album-closer “U Again” are deeply reminiscent of her post-Rotary Connection output.

Giovanca “Melancholic You”

Of course no one will ever replace Minnie Riperton, no matter how much they admire her or study her. And Subway Silence may not be the expectation-shattering release that her labelmate and collaborator Benny Sings’ …At Home was last year. But it’s feel-good Summertime cool-out music, whether you’re in love and filled with anticipation of the next time you and your sweetie are set to get romantic, or you just broke up with some jerkface and you’re about to get your Mary Tyler Moore on.

Oh, and if you just want to spin around and throw your hat in the air it’ll work for that too.