USA
TODAY
Samantha Siva, Masquerade The
ever-adventurous Siva spices her infectious jazz/pop with R&B, Latin and
world music. Siva wrote and produced all the songs on her third album,
handling keyboards, guitar and bass duties as well. Her ethereal vocals
are haunting on the moody title track and tender on the ballad
You
Inspire Me.
Siva offers a kaleidoscope of sounds: spirited instrumentals, breezy
uptempo jams and smooth ballads. There's no masking her talents.
— Steve Jones
JAZZUSA REVIEW
by
S.H. Watkins, Sr.
Blessed with a
beautiful voice and loads of talent, Samantha Siva continues to
grow and mature as an artist, composer and producer on this third release.
Accompanied by the likes of David Benoit, Richard Elliot and
Chieli Minucci Siva alternates between smooth, Sade-like tracks
(Masquerade, Sugar) and tracks that are unmistakably Samantha. All the
tracks are original and, unlike previous releases, all are strong and
deserving of inclusion. Samantha adds some smooth Latin flavor with
Poquito di Paraguana and Coco La Mer. Clouds, featuring David Benoit,
is
classy and shows Siva's maturation as a songwriter and vocal stylist. Much
like Sade, Siva seems to transcend musical genres. Although this is
definitely a jazz CD, it should play well in the pop and world music
arenas... maybe even a little crossover into the R&B world. The production
on this CD is first rate and the entire production has that 'big' sound
that differentiates the up-and-comers from the stars. Samantha Siva is
beginning to sit much more comfortably in that star seat.
JAZZ
TIMES REVIEW
Singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist/producer Samantha Siva brings her
wide-ranging talent to bear on her third album, Masquerade (Genie), a
richly varied mix of musical styles. Not only is Siva an immensely
talented artist, she is also the head of her own label, Genie
Entertainment, and, as such, oversaw all of the business aspects relating
to Masquerade.
Siva exhibits her jazz chops on the lively "Six O'Clock," while the title
track possesses a languid feel reminiscent of Sade's sound. The vibrant,
Spanish-flavored "Poquita di Paraguana" features delicate acoustic guitar
accents from Chieli Minucci, and David Benoit contributes keyboards to
"Clouds," a song that floats as ethereally as the journey it describes.
Saxophonist David Mann sets a moody tone on the sultry ballad "Sugar," a
pretty but repetitive track that feels a bit too long; Siva could have cut
a minute or more from the song and still have made her seductive point.
Overall, though, Masquerade is an impressive effort by an artist of
exceptional ability.
-Lucy Taub
Copyright GENIE ENTERTAINMENT.
All Rights Reserved
|
|