Aisyah Pearls Hybrid Stereo SACD

NativeDSD Album of the Year 2024 Nominee: Vocals - Pop & Soul!

Groove Note's latest recording artist, Aisyah, is a tremendously talented Singapore based vocalist who was recommended to them by current GRV recording star Vanessa Fernandez. The top 10 finalist in a couple of regional vocal talent shows in her late teens, Aisyah was recently based in and recording in Malaysia for several years before returning to Singapore to pursue her own independent singing and songwriting career.

Groove Note is honored to have been chosen by Aisyah for her very first fully independent recording session which will also represent her first ever releases on 45 rpm Audiophile Vinyl LP and Hybrid Stereo SACD. The album was tracked and mixed on Protools HD at 24/96 by Roger Montejano, a top studio engineer from Madrid, in late November and December 2020. Pearls was mastered by Bernie Grundman of BGM in Hollywood, CA.

Working with a top guitarist-arranger (Sebastian Ho), Aisyah presents a mellow groove, audiophile friendly selection of contemporary and old school R&B hits and other favorites. The song selection runs the musical gamut, featuring covers of recent hits by Billie Eilish and Lianne La Havas all the way to a couple of Lou Reed and Bob Dylan classics from the '70s along with further tasty selections by the likes of Chris Isaak, Sade and Roberta Flack. (Note: the music program on the album also includes a couple of superb audiophile mixes, bonus alternate takes and a stunning and dramatic rendition of the well known standard "Smile".)

Without a doubt, Groove Note's recording is naturally of high standards, the vocals & instruments featured are full of texture/realism... very rich and colorful... If you like half contemporary, half jazzy type of audiophile, I definitely recommend this album!

I urge all those drawn to contemporary pop music to give this album a listen. You just might discover, as I did, a singular vocalist free of the trappings of modern production models. Pearls is a welcome addition to Groove Note's unique catalogue of jazz, blues, vocal, classical and world music.

Pearls features a number of well-known songs made famous by Billie Eilish, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Sade, and Roberta Flack, among others. The title track features a tasty sax solo by Fabian Lim. The arrangements are subtle focusing attention on the singer's fine vocals and unique singing style.