Mia Doi Todd
Gea

Rating: 4/5
Tracks to download: “Esperar Es Caro,” “Sleepless Nights,” “Kokoro”
For fans of: Regina Spektor, Joni Mitchell

Mia Doi Todd’s new album “Gea” is a mellow and seductive acoustic album that at its best provides a forum for her distinctive voice to shine. Her deep, sultry voice is able to adapt to the differing moods of the tracks on “Gea.” The best songs really allow her voice to shine through, whether it is a haunting melody or a sad, reflective love song. Unfortunately, not every track is able to do this. Some of the tracks feel indistinct and staid. Luckily, these songs are in the minority and overall Mia Doi Todd’s new album is a strong collection of acoustic music.

The opening track of the album is able to highlight both the strengths and weaknesses that appear throughout “Gea.”

The first song, “River of Life/The Yes Song” is an ambitious, ten-minute long , two-part song. The first part, “River of Life,” is a great introduction to the album. It highlights Doi Todd’s distinct, deep voice and has memorable lyrics. The song loses steam during the transition to the second part of the tune. The “Yes Song” part of the track does not have the power of the first half of the song. The “Yes Song” is somewhat indistinct and lacks the power of the opening half of the song.

It must be noted that the tracks on “Gea” that feel a bit indistinct are not due to Ms. Doi Todd’s voice lacking any power. It is instead due to uninventive music that leaves her no room to display her vocal prowess. Songs such as “Night of a Thousand Kisses” and “Old World/New World” feel a bit languid due to the lack of musical distinctness.

The tracks that tend to drag on are luckily few and far between. Most of the tracks on the album are able to highlight the most distinct aspect of Ms. Doi Todd, her powerful and deep voice. Her ability to make her voice adapt to the lyrics of the song is spectacular. Songs such as “Sleepless Nights” and “Kokoro” are elevated by her vocal abilities. On “Sleepless Nights” she is able to communicate her sense of anguish in a haunting and memorable manner. On “Kokoro” her voice guides the listener through a love song with an impressive amount of feeling. Even when she is not singing in English, as in “Esperar es Cara,” she is able to communicate tons of emotion and expressiveness.

Even though not every track on Mia Doi Todd’s new album “Gea” is a complete grand slam, her beautiful and memorable voice never lets “Gea” become intolerable. On the contrary, many of the songs are elevated by Doi Todd’s vocal prowess. Her best tracks are extremely enjoyable and memorable acoustic music. Also, Mia Doi Todd will be performing on campus this Wednesday. She will be opening for Jose Gonzalez. They will be playing at Graham Chapel. It is definitely worth checking out.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Cadenza. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.