Andra Day is the breath of fresh air that the R&B and Soul genres so desperately needs. With her debut album, Cheers To The Fall, she infuses R&B, Soul, Jazz and Blues effortlessly to create a combination of both sizzle and substance! The song garnering the most attention is the anthem-like track, “Rise Up” which is a call to your inner hero and where her voice soars over a simple, but beautiful, piano-laden melody. She’s often compared to the late Amy Winehouse due to her capability to conquer several genres without convolution. Her voice has the grit and raw emotion of Billie Holiday and Erykah Badu, Adele’s vocal range and Jill Scott’s confidence and clarity. Some of her more upbeat tracks puts you in the mind of other contemporaries such as Emeli Sandé and, at times, a vocal tone similar to Rihanna’s, but with more dimension.
Where emerging new R&B artists have fallen flat in creating songs that will endure, Ms. Day is off to a great start in returning fervor back to the R&B and Soul genres. Her story-telling is impeccable on songs like “Rearview”, where she masters achieving a pop appeal without losing the soul of the song. The entire album is a throwback to the musical glory days of the ’50s-’70s, but with modern touches and lyrics that keeps the albums core very relevant and relatable. The album was produced by Adrian Gurvitz and Raphael Saadiq and features Questlove, James Poyser of The Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Dap-Kings of Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings. Other standout tracks on the album include the solid songs, “Cheers to the Fall,” “Only Love” and “Forever Mine.” The album is currently available digitally.
