Belgian jazz singer and instrumentalist, Melanie De Biasio’s third album, Lilies is a stark collection of jazz noir, European style.
That style or sound is abstract and weird. Her lead off cut, Gold Junkies is a representative of her sound where the backing track is as important as the vocals. It’s essentially a tone poem, as is the song, Let Me Love You. The album is variations on that theme.
De Biasio is an understated vocalist who sings like Peggy Lee. On the title track she backs herself on piano on a brooding mood piece that’s reminiscent of Nina Simone. It’s incomplete but pure, more performance than song, a piece where expression is all. It conjures up many moods and images, depending where and when it gets play time.
Lilies is seductively down-tempo. On some tracks, De Biasio whispers and on others she intones over a finger snap. At times it’s barely there but the presence is intense and undeniable. Her source is obscure; her sound is sparse and there’s dark magic happening in the music.
Jazz is a loose term and her sound is impressionistic.
–Dean Gordon-Smith is a Vernon-based musician who reviews the latest music releases in his column, Street Sounds, every Friday.