I always look forward to each issue of Acid Dragon, as not only do I enjoy the content contained within one of the world’s longest running physical progressive fanzines, but it is not unusual for Thierry to also include some CDs which he think I may enjoy (and hopefully write about). These could have been released at any time, which is why I am now playing this, the debut album by French singer Asta Diankha. She was born in southern France in 1982, and with a mother who was involved in choir and a brother who was a jazz rock drummer, she grew up immersed in music. Here we have a singer who really can, who enjoys multiple styles and consequently sings whatever she wants, can do this in either clear unaccented English or in French, and is generally quite a discovery.

It is hard to say where her roots really lie, but probably in jazz combined with musical theatre, as even when she moves into more popular styles this is still very much at the heart of how she performs. The arrangements are often based on piano, while the drums and wonderful bass keep everything tied in tight. She understand less is more so while we do get orchestration and harmony vocals, it is always in the right amount and nothing is over produced. Her vocals are kept quite dry, with just a slight reverb, to allow her material style and beauty to really shine through. No autotune here, what I am listening to is what I would have heard if I had been in the studio hearing her vocals before they were captured by the microphone. In some ways this is not my normal style of music, but her jazz stylings have made this quite special indeed, the result being an album I have thoroughly enjoyed. I don’t think she has released a follow-up yet, but if you enjoy a diverse singer with a warm style based loosely on jazz then this could well be for you.

Rating: 8/10

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/asta.diankha.officiel/
https://www.facebook.com/highquestmusic/