aaamusic | On 19, Feb 2013

What it is about jazz that just doesn’t seem to click with people? For a strikingly unique and legitimate genre of music, to the western pop-hungry public, it appears upon inspection to be worryingly undersubscribed. And while emerging artist Adya may not shake the masses from their personal convictions on the genre, she certainly follows competently in the paths carved by the (equally bewilderingly) diminutive group of artists who have brought jazz-infused pop to the modern listener in recent years.

An alumni of Berkley college in Boston, Adya’s lead single ‘Long Goodbyes’ stays true to its jazz roots in its instrumental aesthetic from the outset, which proves a immediate challenge to the listener; the vintage sound, perpendicular to modern conventionalities, could just as easily sound as cheesy as it sounds smooth, rich and uplifting, but this is more likely an indictment on the segregation of the jazz genre in general. And if there was any doubt that such an impression could be down to anything else, within a minute or less that will have evaporated. It really is remarkable how quickly you warm to it as a style; from the deep synthy bass to the expanding cushions of saxophone, there is such a familiarity in the sound that you feel at home despite any stylistic disorientation.

And of course, Adya herself only sweetens the whole deal. Between her softly crooning voice and the support of the backing vocalists, the aesthetic is completed in the form of a bloody good radio-friendly pop song, even when taken in isolation from the jazzy delivery. And with those two elements synthesized, Adya can proudly join the ranks of recent artists such as Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Norah Jones and Rumer who have found success and challenged the mainstream taste with their comforting jazz-pop twists.

★★★★★

Matt Fellows