Nadia Sohaei- Talking to Myself

ARTIST: Nadia Sohaei

ALBUM: Talking to Myself

LABEL: Decadance Records

REVIEWER: Matthew J.

DATE: 2-3-09

Although she's done soundtrack work as part of a previous project entitled Thai-Essence, Nadia Sohaei is best known for her work as keyboardist in Trans-X, and her first solo release under her own name has a lot in common with the work of that seminal electronic act: the minimalist, almost primitive keyboard lines, the coolly deadpan vocals, the robotic effects, and the cold but insistent dance beats. Her programming is quite good, as evidenced by the rich strings on "New Rome" and staccato synth violin sequences of "In Your Eyes," but the real draw here is Sohaei herself. She has a deep voice that verges on the sort of sleepy sensuality of Nico's work with The Velvet Underground; on the deliberately vintage-sounding "Dragonfly" and the minimalist bass groove of "Strong," she sounds simultaneously bored and sexy. If Sohaei occasionally verges into an affected monotone that makes her sound too cool and world-weary to bother singing actual notes, it's certainly not due to lack of talent, because on title track "Talking to Myself" and "Callas Never Dies" she lets loose with a gorgeous, soaring soprano that this album could actually use a lot more of. Still, if the sparse melodies make you long for a few more memorable choruses, that seems to be part and parcel of what Sohaei is going for, a blending of the robot cool of classic European synthpop and the understated sexuality of minimalist house music that she accomplishes with admirable aplomb. She might be talking to herself, but you'll feel privileged that you get the chance to listen in to the conversation.

Eavesdrop on Nadia Sohaei's monologue at www.nadiasohaei.com.