Disco is not dead and rock is not its enemy. With 222, Issara melts them together and offers herself a promising dancing debut. Review.
222 – ISSARA
To qualify Issara’s new album, we could say vintage or old-school, but 222 is more than that. Rather on the adventuring neo-retro side, running up to disco Thai and Soul, it’s a treat, a well-thought mix of flavours. Rhythm-and-Blues marries classical rock, the one so successful in the 70s and 80s, and pays a visit to its former lover, Jazz. Hand in hand, genres collaborate to push Issara’s crystal-clear vocals forward. It’s diabolically angelic. It’s a paradise, and I want to lose myself in its notes for hours.
In my favourites, I quickly get Phoenix, Woman, Rebel, and Home. They have different genres and atmospheres but, overall, they show how good Issara can get. She seems to keep a couple of things to herself, of course, but she’s still very generous for this first one. The interpolation of This Little Light of Mine on Rise Up shows how she elevates her original songs to an efficient neo-retro.
Universe reveals all of her greatness, how made for the stage she is. My image mental, it’s only her, Issara smiling, passionate behind the mic, erasing for just a moment the rest of the world, and capturing her public in one go. She does let the universe go back to its original shape once the song is done, though. Through it all, I kept thinking about how the guitars are incredibly well-balanced. They’re bringing just enough rock to her soul, and highlighting her art nicely. With 222, Issara shines as the new star of our disco parties, gospel-filled masses, jazz clubs, and rock nights at the pub…