Renee Zawawi- Legends

Renee Zawawi: "Legends"

If there is anything to fault Renee Zawawi's album
"Legends" for, it's a lack of cohesiveness. The album
seems to go in many directions, but I tend to think of
this as a strength of  her twelve track CD. There is a
confluence of different styles meeting in this album.
The album seems to try and to take you all of the
places which the artist has traveled, and all the
places she has been emotionally: from ecstatic, to
despairing, rather a whirlwind of contemporary pop.
"Flirt With Me" is upbeat and decidedly Spanish
sounding, whereas other tracks album have a definite
Middle Eastern sound, and a palpable inherent sadness.
These are twelve songs encompassing many different
styles: pop music, but with a decidedly "world music"
flavor. "American Girrrl" is a techno-influenced romp,
an infectious tune, which transitions into the slow,
bassy "The Wind Was Her Only Music," the latter song
gives the artist much more room in the mix to breathe.
The result is gorgeous. Zawawi's voice is plaintive,
but mature. Each song begins and ends with sounds of
the ocean, which functions as a good bookend to Renee
Zawawi's soothing vocal delivery.
Zawawi seems most comfortable delivering fun, funky
songs like "Happy Hour", and does well in such songs,
but even in the most upbeat songs there is a tinge of
melancholy in her evocative vocals. Perhaps the
highlight of the album is "Children of the World," a
rock-ballad. It is probably the strongest song on the
album: it is an earnest, anthemic plea in several
languages. The final chorus soars into an adeptly
harmonized mantra that will stay with the listener
well after the CD stops.
The is a dearth of intelligent, earnest pop music
currently, Renee Zawawi's "Legends" is just the sort
of thing that could fill such a void. The album is
full of haunting melodies, catchy bass lines, and
thoughtful lyrics. The bouncy, upbeat songs which are
most suited to dance floors, don't necessarily show
the depth of this artist. All together, it is an
interesting and enjoyable album which deserves more
than one listen.