Published on May 6, 2004
Much of the music being made today can be easily categorized
into jazz, blues, rock, hip-hop, or some other section for the
music store. Amun Ra cannot be so easily classified. Their music
must be evaluated solely on its own terms.
After listening to the album, I will add my voice to any rave
reviews already written. So many musicians have such great
instrumental music, but never allow you the time to just sit and
listen to the instruments; instead, they clutter the eardrums with
vocals that don’t add much. Not so Amun Ra; of the lengthy song
“Spiritual Expedition,” half of the song has no vocals to speak of.
Emily Shirley, the lead vocalist, contributes laughter to the
rhythm section during this time, then sings lyrics towards the
end.
The lyrics themselves are stunning. Read aloud, the lyrics make
great poetry; with phrases like “what do we know for certain / that
won’t ever come undone? / this land is ours to mold / will we dare
to bare our souls?” from “Time,” Amun Ra shows that this is not
your standard love, sex and drugs album.
Well, you may ask, what does Amun Ra sound like? Herein lays the
biggest problem. I cannot compare Amun Ra to anything similar.
There are definite shadows of foreign influences in the rhythms and
in the exotic woodwinds. The music, without vocals, might be
anything from excellent jazz to funk to hip-hop. The rhythms are
complex, often changing midsong as vocals are introduced or
removed; I wouldn’t try to dance to any one song, unless I was in
the mood to change how I was dancing every three or four
minutes.
The individual members of the band mesh to make this wonderfully
original sound. The regular band includes Nadjim Kebir on drums,
Misha Rutman on guitars, Neil Larson on Rhodes and synthesizers,
and Azukizawa Hirotsugu on bass. There’s some excellent saxophone
playing by guest Arthur Sharp during “Step Back,” and Mister Rourke
on turntables joins Amun Ra for four of the songs of the album.
Emily Shirley has a wonderfully clear voice, and can put the full
gamut of emotions into her lyrics.
The vocals of Amun Ra are mournful, angry, hopeful, and humorous
by turn. The music behind the vocals is energetic, soothing, and
soaring. Although it sounds jumbled when I describe it, I guarantee
you the music does not sound scrambled in the least. I hope that
anyone interested in a “new sound” will definitely give Amun Ra a
try.