You & I
Ala.Ni
(Missing Piece Records)
Three stars
Ala.Ni's sleek, crystalline vocals recount the full cycle of an autobiographical, year-long affair on You & I, her alluring yet determined debut.
Comparisons to Madeleine Peyroux and Lena Horne are reflexive, and the clarity of the British singer's voice certainly bears the influence of childhood heroine Julie Andrews.
The songs on the album reflect the seasons; starting with the budding romance in spring on Cherry Blossom and reaching a winter conclusion with Circle and its promise of a new start.
In between, she hopes he will choose her over his existing flame (the searching One Heart) only to be disappointed with an amicable goodbye ( the resolute Darkness at Noon).
All of this will set up Ala.Ni’s for a follow-up album that could be a personal milestone. Will she stay within the highly personal and successful but also somewhat confining or will she transform and expand her musical persona in other directions?
One thing is for sure, Ala.Ni certainly does not lack the confidence and talent to follow her muse.
* Pablo Gorondi / Associated Press
