Home / Arts and Entertainment / Aja Monet's 'the color of rain': Slam Poetry Meets Jazz Alchemy
Aja Monet's 'the color of rain': Slam Poetry Meets Jazz Alchemy
26 May
Summary
- Album blends slam poetry roots with jazz, soul, and electronic influences.
- Features rich lyricism and an expanded vocal repertoire from the artist.
- Arrangements push boundaries, creating dynamic and expanding sonic spaces.
Los Angeles-based writer and performer Aja Monet has released her second album, "the color of rain," a collection that melds her slam poetry background with a vibrant musicality. The album masterfully integrates jazz, soul, and electronic elements, creating a dynamic sonic landscape that shifts from calm to chaotic. Monet's performances are noted for their fluid transitions across genres and vocal registers.
The production, a collaboration including bassist Meshell Ndegeocello and drummer Justin Brown, rejects traditional spoken-word mixing. Instead, the arrangements push outward, with layered rhythms and background vocals engaging in a constant dialogue with Monet's lyrics. This approach creates a feeling of warm, expanding, and slightly noisy creative spaces.
"the color of rain" builds on Monet's syncretic style, drawing inspiration from jazz and beat scenes, the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and experimental artists. The songwriting features a gamesome approach, incorporating elements like typewriters and evolving backbeats, amplified by Monet's evocative metaphors and a notably expanded vocal repertoire.
