It’s not often that I find myself at a loss for words, but when it comes to defining Sonya Kahn’s album New Beginning that seems to be the case.
There is plenty to be said about New Beginning, but as far as easily categorizing it? Almost impossible.
This album consists of songs that bring together 80’s-style pop-rock, classic Euro-pop, power ballads, and a sound that is suggestive of what ABBA would have sounded like were the group formed today. Despite these aspects being able to be picked out, though, none of them quite accurately describe Kahn’s music.
There are hints of all these styles, yet Kahn melds them into one style that is distinctly her own, and rather indefinable. To simply lump her into the genre of pop or pop-rock would be to do a grave injustice to Kahn.
There is a power and edge to Kahn’s music that isn’t often found with pop music, especially with female pop singers. There isn’t the slightest presence of auto-tune, just a voice that comes through the airwaves with a pure, inherent strength. The intensity of Kahn’s voice is so great that, every once in a while, it almost overpowers her instrumental accompaniment, but it works, even while coming across as a bit harsh at times.
In an industry that is increasingly using technology to make even awful singers sound decent, it’s incredibly refreshing to have an artist come along whose voice requires no help or touching up, but is just that good in its raw state.
While her vocals may have that extra oomph to them, Kahn’s lyrics are fairly generic. Were you to just read the lyrics on paper, they would come across as nothing special, but as the same overdone concepts as dozens of other artists. However, Kahn sings with a maturity that many artists lack, which makes her vocal interpretation of the lyrics come across as genuine rather than trite. Consequently, Kahn is able to move brilliantly between her fun songs and her ballads without one style sounding more fitting than the other.
Obviously, there is a lot to be said in describing Sonya Kahn and New Beginning, yet I still can’t nail down exactly how to define her style. And maybe that’s a good thing. It’s fresh, it’s unique, so why try to generalize it with one term? Just have a listen for yourself and see what I mean.
Hot Tracks: Hunter, Sabre Dance, New Beginning
July 8, 2010
