Zola Jesus – Conatus
With an approach that washes over you with waves of melody both obvious and subdued, Zola Jesus (Nika Roza Danilova) sets out to get under your skin. She doesn’t necessarily want to overwhelm you with beauty but to provide an engaging mixture of dark and light.
There are times her vocal approach sounds like words and other time where it’s more implied feelings than articulated dialogue. She often sets up a marching beat foundation and obscures the top end with wave after wave of studio created sound while her voice does its best to become chameleon like and add more to the mood than define it.
This approach has the effect of removing the listener from the obvious reaction and becomes more of a right brain function, less analytical and more reactionary. It also helps the music have longevity while divulging its treasures moment by moment.
In contrast to many powerful female vocalists, Zola is content with providing an infectious and evolving experience and not just overwhelming with range and projection. In the long run this will give her and her music a welcome appeal based more on shared emotions than orchestrated feelings. Rob Hudson www.zolajesus.com
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