With her second local release, Brazilian pianist/vocalist/ songwriter Paula Maya cracks the Seattle code. Like the best of Northwest rock, Paula is hard to pin down, with touches of progressive rock, ska, and art metal snaking through guitarist Pat Hewitt s production. Hewitt s fluid guitar work imaginatively complements Maya s squared-off keyboard arrangements, and drummer Ben Smith presides over the sound in a way that is reminiscent of Matt Chamberlain s work with Tori Amos. Songs like Full Moon, High on You, Beloved, and In the Present simmer with a regal eroticism that suggests a Yes concert in the court of Cleopatra. Hewitt s guitar gives a Black Sabbath feel to War Again, a bold anti-war statement that begins with the compelling line there they go again / marching to their deaths/ even if their bodies survive, and indulges in some histrionic goofiness on the Johnny Be Good take-off The Old Man. When the lyrics become overly ethereal, as in Patience (Job), a delightful melodic twist comes along to bring the song back into Earth s orbit. Maya s vocals are impeccable throughout.

 

1. Full Moon   11. Shaking

 

All used  disks are professionally refurbished and test played before shipping and will play  well in most machines.