The Jazz Pop genre isn't something that I've covered before but it is music I like especially when it's done well. Lyia Meta stands out thanks to her unique voice in a style of music that perfectly accommodates it and what she does with it is killer. To put it in ways you can understand, vocalists such as Nina Simone, Tony Braxton, and Tracy Chapman would be contraltos that Lyia fits into. This Malaysian-born artist has also had a long career in both country and rock music but her journey into jazz should convince anyone that she can handle any musical genre she comes across.
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Lyia Meta's Jazz Pop Album Debut Highlights
Get the name Denise Dimin in your head and learn it well. She's the composer of these songs, many of which are available on her site. Before this release, Lyia Meta covered Dimin's "This One's For You", before this album. Others have also covered this track in he past and just to say that, Denise is available if you want to use her compositions, if you're a performer, you can always reach out to her.
"Always You"
This smokey and sultry track fires off the album, and easily sounds like it comes straight out of the Great American Songbook. The original from Dimin's site, sung by Mary Grace, is categorized as indie pop or even 60s. Lyia gave it the jazz pop for this release which isn't that far from what Denise has tried with her other work. And the sentiment behind the song is simple. It doesn't matter how someone else might flatter her, or the reason why she might gaze might linger on her love is because she is. It's simplicity itself!
All of these tracks could have a place in a James Bond film preferably with Michelle Yeoh since she is also from Malaysia, but that movie happened at the wrong time, and in a perfect world, "For You", with a more grandiose orchestration, would be a contender. Again, this is not what the original sounds like which to me is just wild.
The song is an exchange between two former lovers. She broke it off with him but he is still in her thoughts and she cries for him. She is also in his thoughts and wants to know how she might repond if he tells her he thinks about her too and loves her. The Nina Simone or Billy Holiday style of vocals in Lyia's voice heightens the quality to this jazz-pop song that you have to respect.
Check out Lyia Meta's Other Music Videos As They Get Added
"Never Enough Time" is also about two lovers but one of them is behind bars. There's no hint or explanation as to why they're there but the one paying the penalty always ends their letter with:
There’s never enough time to hear all the music.
There are so many songs I want to sing along with.
There’s never enough time to hear all the music.
There are so many songs I want to sing along with.
And there’s so much that I want to do.
As the saying goes, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime." I'll keep referring to the originals of these tracks so that you can hear the comparison. Dimin categorizes this one as smooth jazz or bossa nova.
"Savor Me" is interesting because it talks about food. More specifically, breakfast with coffee and pastries. Hell, it even includes a hot shower but, the way Lyia Meta sings make it somewhat erotic and sexy. About as close as it gets to that lyrically is when Denise refers to chocolate.
This track is one of my favorites on the album and the other tracks in this release with multiple listens, grow on me. easily added to my small but now growing collection of jazz pop music. It's also a win-win for composer Denise Dimin as it puts her on the map.
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Jazz Pop Interview with Lyia Meta
It needs to be mentioned that despite Lyia Meta being in Malaysia, she does travel to the States, specifically for her Los Angeles connections. But she's also got some awards credited here, most recently Texas Sounds International Country Music Awards 2021 and 2022 for Female Vocalist of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, and Virtual Entertainer of the Year as well as the Global Music Awards 2023 SILVER Medal- Female Vocalist SILVER Medal- Best Album 'ALWAYS YOU'. Check out more of her past awards and those to come on her site.
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