Malia’s sixth studio album, Malawi Blues / Njira, sees her clear, incisive voice again amplified in a soul-jazz context. The album features thoughtful, mostly slow-paced originals, with sparingly orchestrated piano supported by guitar and percussion, amongst them an almost minimalistic cover version of the classic ‘Moon River’. Right from the outset, Malia with Malawi Blues / Njira looks back to the sound of her childhood.
One Grass Skirt To London is an 8,200-kilometer journey from Malawi to London, where the singer emigrated to as a teenager. Not only was it a geographical and temporal journey but also a musical one. Though most of all, it was a sentimental one, since the 14 songs carefully chosen for this album are so precious to her because of the memories they contain. Almost all are taken from film soundtracks, from “Everybody’s Talkin’” from Midnight Cowboy to “Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun, you find “Pure Imagination” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as “Here On My Own” from Fame. All of them possess an unique power to evoke an emotion through their music that has shaped her identity, helped overcome trials, and bloom as an artist…
One Grass Skirt To London is an 8,200-kilometer journey from Malawi to London, where the singer emigrated to as a teenager. Not only was it a geographical and temporal journey but also a musical one. Though most of all, it was a sentimental one, since the 14 songs carefully chosen for this album are so precious to her because of the memories they contain. Almost all are taken from film soundtracks, from “Everybody’s Talkin’” from Midnight Cowboy to “Take My Breath Away” from Top Gun, you find “Pure Imagination” from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as well as “Here On My Own” from Fame. All of them possess an unique power to evoke an emotion through their music that has shaped her identity, helped overcome trials, and bloom as an artist…
A tribute to her musical hero, Nina Simone, Black Orchid is the fourth studio album from British-Malawi jazz vocalist and protégée of Nouvelle Star judge André Manoukian, Malia. The self-produced follow-up to 2007's Young Bones includes 13 interpretations of the legendary singer's biggest hits, including "My Baby Just Cares for Me," "Feeling Good," and "I Put a Spell on You."
A tribute to her musical hero, Nina Simone, Black Orchid is the fourth studio album from British-Malawi jazz vocalist and protégée of Nouvelle Star judge André Manoukian, Malia. The self-produced follow-up to 2007's Young Bones includes 13 interpretations of the legendary singer's biggest hits, including "My Baby Just Cares for Me," "Feeling Good," and "I Put a Spell on You."