free music friday: asha ali

Born in Ethiopia but raised in Stockholm, Asha Ali made quite a splash in Sweden with her 2006 self-titled debut album, gaining instant praise and nominations for a Grammi and a Swedish Radio P3 Guld award. Taking her cues from indie, pop and soul, her influences range from Jeff Buckley, Dolly Parton and Nina Simone to Kate Bush, David Bowie and Patti Smith, though her accessible and original arrangements seem to owe more to modern singer-songwriters. As a single, ‘Hurricane’ has actually been around since April, but it’s well worth checking out if you’ve yet to hear Asha’s unique, piano-driven arrangements. Her effortlessly soulful vocals dance along with a Regina Spektor-like cadence on this jubilant number, tailored perfectly to accent her vibrant, honest melodies. A fresh, impeccable song that bridges the gap between radio pop and indie credibility, it’s a lovely opener for the recently released album of the same name, which we most definitely recommend.

FREE MP3: Asha Ali, ‘Hurricane’

visit Asha on Myspace

Written by: Charlotte Richardson Andrews

Tags: asha ali

This entry was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 9:51 am and is filed under All A/V, free music friday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.