Yahzarah - The Ballad of Purple St. James

To say that I have been eagerly anticipating this album would quite possibly be the understatement of the century. Since getting my copy of ‘Blackstar’ in 2005, I have become a HUGE fan of Yahzarah and followed her journey to where we find ourselves today - The Ballad of Purple St. James is the next step in a rather understated, yet quite incredible career. I have to admit that I do love an over-exaggeration every now and again, but I don’t think anyone can deny the fact that this woman has one of the most pure and unique voices in Music today. If you don’t believe me, then you clearly haven’t listened to this album yet.

For me; The Ballad of Purple St. James is the Female equivelent of Maxwell’s 2009 release ‘BLACKsummers’night’ - granted their stories are incomparable, but from the outset it is clear that they are both special albums for a genre that has had more downs than ups throughout the last 3-4 years. Outstanding vocals, flawless production and exceptional lyrics are something that are rare to find in all types of Music; however Modern R&B/Soul is a genre that has been heavily criticised by many for lacking in all 3 areas. Thank God we have The Foreign Exchange.

Along with FE’s 2nd album ‘Leave It All Behind’, Nicolay has given us ‘City Lights Vol. 2: Shibuya’ and this album could be seen as the 3rd part of a spectacular trilogy, which has made people stand up and realise the importance of creating Music that comes from the heart and soul. I think the 1st single ‘Why Dontcha Call Me No More’ was a slightly strange choice, as it wasn’t one of the stand out tracks for me. However; there isn’t a song on the album that I didn’t enjoy, and as a whole it gives you a sense of warmth and happiness inside when listened to from start to finish. The two features (Phonte & Darien Brockington) add something special to the album, without taking the emphasis away from Yahzarah’s extraordinary vocal talents, which is something that made me very happy. Too many people overload albums with unnecessary features and you lose track of who’s album you are actually listening to - The Foreign Exchange have a knack of getting it absolutely spot on.

I am by no means saying this is the best album you will ever listen to, but it’s definitely got the timeless factor, which could well make it one of the best albums I have listened to by a female artist in the last 10 years. Yahzarah and Erykah Badu are two artists I think very highly of and I am so thankful that they have provided us with two masterpieces this year. Below is the link to buy the album from iTunes and a stream of the incredible duet with Darien Brockington called ‘All My Days’. If you want real music, then you need look no further than here. Next is Zo!’s album, followed by The Foreign Exchange in October. H’exciting!

P.S. the cover is RIDICULOUS!

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