Michelle Nadia is a singer/songwriter who has been writing and performing music both in New Zealand and overseas for many years. Accompanying her extensive nationwide tour is her long-awaited debut album Firefly. Upon researching the album, I discovered that not only is it produced by New Zealand music heavyweight Nic Manders, but Nadia’s studio band includes amazing musicians like Bruce Lynch and Andy Lynch, who, between them, have worked with everyone from Kate Bush to The Feelers. And Michelle Nadia successfully matches and, at times exceeds, the enormous talent she’s lucky enough to count in her company.
The title track Firefly is one of the highlights on the album, possibly because I’m always a sucker for a simple, cutesy song. With lyrics like ‘lightning bug, don’t cry/can’t you see that you’re a firefly’, it’s hard to claim it is a song filled with lyrical genius and astounding metaphors, but it is one of those songs that has the power to make you smile in spite of yourself.
Perhaps contradictorily, the other stand-out song for me is Stars. This second track is unique compared with many singer/songwriter types that I’m used to listening to, in that it is very rich in instrumental layers. Instead of drowning out her vocal talent which it had the potential to do, the instrumental power actually enhances the strength of her voice. In fact, many of the songs are instrumentally loaded; it is not uncommon to hear organs, harmonicas and a huge array of string instruments accompanying Nadia’s endearing vocals.
I definitely liked some of the tracks a lot more than I liked others but that inevitability just comes down to personal preference. In fact, that there is such a variety of sound on this album that can polarize my opinions, while at the same time allowing me to appreciate each song for what it is, is a reflection of Nadia’s versatility as an artist.
Throughout Firefly there are tiny snatches of a more country-folk influenced vocal sound that seems to hint at a possibly unexplored vocal depth. The tone really suits Nadia’s voice and I would be really interested in hearing more of a country-folk influence on future releases.
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About the author sidvicious
One of my favourite quotes ever was by a character I hated in a movie I will never understand. “I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. We’re all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we’re going to die, each of us secretly believing we won’t.” If you know who said it, and if you wished it was someone more inspiring, then we might be soulmates. I love music, although that defines nothing about me, because who doesn’t? Favourite artists include Architecture in Helsinki, The Maccabees, The Beatles, The Smiths, Born Ruffians, Joy Division, The Drums, The Rifles, Say Anything, The Libertines, Eminem, Shout Out Louds, Darwin Deez, The Knife, Vampire Weekend, The Cure, The xx, Hellogoodbye, Crystal Castles, MGMT, Casiotone for the Painfully Alone, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, The Naked and Famous,
