Maysa | Blue Velvet Soul

Maysa | Blue Velvet Soul Shanachie Records Review by Peggy Oliver

In a sea of R&B, soul and jazz stars, urban music aficionados can count on Maysa to present a complete package in terms of quality musical entertainment. Since the early nineties, Maysa’s resume includes nine albums as a soloist, and her regular contributions with popular U.K. soul/jazz group, Incognito. For elevating the art of soul music to a level of shear class, Soul Train awarded Maysa as the Soul Approved Underground Singer. However, for being in the ‘underground’ having primarily charted on the contemporary jazz and urban adult contemporary market, the music sales and radio play generally suffer in comparison to the predominantly pop, R&B and hip-hop top forty chart hit makers. Nonetheless, Maysa still runs vocal rings around a lot of today’s urban headliners, which the critics have constantly raved about. Even more so, the Baltimore, MD native is quite content just conveying therapeutic, honest storytelling dealing with matters of the heart.

With each subsequent solo project, Maysa’s intricate details with whatever she sings still captivate the senses. Her latest, Blue Velvet Soul, explores the powers that be behind strong faith and romantic love. Numerous spiritual themes are broken down, opening with “Beautiful Dreamer,” a modern R&B ballad illustrating the observation of seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Protecting ourselves through life’s obstacles is the focal point of the gospel-esque, “When Your Soul Answers:” “When the darkness dissipates/You have to do whatever it takes/To find the truth in the game of high stakes/Listen to your soul, don’t be led astray. “Inside My Dream” addresses approaching faith by one’s dreams: “It’s giving me another lesson/ How to keep my faith alive/To get the world I want to see/All I really do is close my eyes.”

Romantic love also has a prominent place on Blue Velvet Soul. Maysa applies the spoken word for “Sophisticated Lover,” in which she paints a sultry picture of that special someone. The disco-fueled, “Put It on Me,” unashamedly celebrates sexy through Maysa’s joyful expressions, especially when she reaches back for those pure high notes. Keeping the warm disco fire burning, Bluey from Incognito joins the festivities on “Nothing but You” where the lover is trying to break free from a bad relationship and for the calming yet stimulating duet, “Good Morning Sunshine.” Then there is the house music engine that could with “This Much” and a touch of Motown accenting “I Care.” Considering all these solid cuts, Maysa’s salute to Nancy Wilson – “Quiet Fire,” is Blue Velvet Soul’s most riveting piece.

The pros far outweigh the cons. However, if there were any downfalls, the background vocals are occasionally masked electronically, that is a bit annoying considering Maysa’s vocal capabilities. Otherwise, Blue Velvet Soul fills the listener with Maysa’s distinctive soulful personality and stories, providing yet another shining moment in her stellar career and
another triumph for urban adult contemporary music.

Four and three-quarter stars out of five.

Other Tracks:
“Pouring Rain”
“Be There”
“What Can I Do”
“When You Touch Me”
“Love Me Good”

Peggy Oliver
The Urban Music Scene