Shelly Bhushan - Picking Daisies

It's no secret to most readers of my blog that modern day R & B ain't my thing. For me to truly appreciate soul music, it needs to sound heartfelt and real. I truly despise the plastic sheen that is put on most quote unquote soul music these days. How I long for the days of Motown and the artists that had soul music oozing out of their pores, in a way that couldn't possibly be faked. Enter Shelly Bushan. Am I ever glad that I gave this CD a chance, even though it was given the soul tag, a tag that I tend to ignore these days. The CD, entitled Picking Daisies, begins adequately enough with "Perfect Stranger" a funky groove that hearkens slightly back to the 70's. What I really like is the vocal control that she shows at the start, allowing her powers to sneak up on you, rather than smack you in the head. It really is when the chorus kicks in that you hear what a powerful and emotive vocalist Shelly really is. She carries herself nicely through the next few soulful songs, namely the title track and "Beautiful Me" which is an interesting song about finding that balance between inner and outer beauty. My favorite moments on this disc, however, are the sharp left turns that she takes, making it difficult to really pigeonhole her into one particular genre. "Birthday Suit" is one such example, an acoustic indie styled ballad that is the type of song Sheryl Crow could only dream of having in her catalogue. There are a few jazzier tracks on the album as well, my favorite one being "It's Over," which has some subtle yet ravishing strings accompanying her, once again, flawless voice. The song is adventurous in that it takes a few turns and twists of its own throughout the course of the track leading up to a very powerful climax. The album ends with "The Nest" which is another complete surprise, a twangy square dance number a la Dolly Parton. In a world of American Idol-ish oversinging, Shelly Bhushan is pure refreshment, an artist that may unfortunately have to work a little harder for recognition due to the fact that she is working against the current musical climate. I believe however, that if anyone is worth the effort, it's her.

Download: It's Over mp3 / Picking Daisies mp3
Myspace: Shelly Bhushan
Purchase: Picking Daisies at CDBaby