Anjulie
Guyanese-Canadian Anjulie debuts with her first self-titled album. She has cited a number of varying influences that show in the album's differing genres that change from song to song. Anjulie's soulful, charming vocals, and spirited nature remain constant no matter the style of the particular song. She has been compared quite a bit to Nelly Furtado and it is completely understandable to confuse the two as their sound is strikingly similar. Anjulie takes that initial sound and experiments with it through varying genres of music and a lyrical elegance in her reflection on love and life.
The album begins with the stylish, "Boom." It begins with a deep beat and Anjulie's fierce vocals. Its '60s inspired sound makes it completely fitting for a James Bond film. "The Boom-shaka-lacka" hook adds a sense of empowered fun that adds a ferocious femininity to Anjulie. Aside from this, my favorite track is the completely contagious, beat-centric, "The Heat." It has a much faster pace than any other song on the CD. Its exotic sound and fun vitality give it a great sense of depth and spirit. Anjulie's heated, heavy breaths become rhythmic on their own. There are so many origins of different beats that build together and converge, making the song very dynamic.
A few of the songs on the album explore Anjulie's playful romantic side, such as "Fatal Attraction." Anjulie sings, "It's a fatal attraction, I'm a slave to a passion," as she proclaims her urges in this song of temptation. In "Some Dumb Girl," she urges her lover to keep his clothes off as she refuses to be "some dumb girl" in their passionate love affair. The number is filled with jazzy trumpets, light chiming, and trance-like keyboard notes that give it a heated atmosphere. We get a similar feel in the song that follows, "Addicted2Me." With the clapping beat and sweeping chorus, the song takes you in like the aforementioned addiction. Anjulie shouts the bride followed by a soft, raspy whisper, taking us into the smooth singing of the devotion of her love in the chorus, as the three continue to circle each other.
"Love Songs" shows off Anjulie's charming side in this enchanting number complemented by her elegant voice and the slow, precise chiming. Anjulie sings, "I fall so easily for the cheesy things in life; Hollywood and sunny skies, fancy restaurants with three forks and knives." She goes on to express her weakness for sad movies and falling in love. It has a unique sound, but a simple significance. The album ends on the determined "Day Will Soon Come." It concentrates on the beat more than the majority of the songs and picks up a steady pace. Anjulie sings, "I'm drowning in my dreams," going on to acknowledge those who have doubted her, "my dreams are much too big for the head their in." She proclaims her soon-to-come stardom and given this album, we don't really need much convincing.