Once The Voice gets down to the top picks, I grow bored and abandon the show, only checking the results for my mom so she can make unfair bets with my grandma about who’s going home. So it’s hard for me to pinpoint specific people on that show unless I liked them or they actually did stick out from the sea of talent. Naia Kete was one I remembered though. I might not have been able to give you her name right away, but I could never forget the girl with dreads who sang at the 3rd Street Promenade. I’ll also never forget how she went home too soon. I’ll leave my real opinion about the show a mystery and continue to say that I’m happy Naia’s new album Fire Breather is now in my possession because it was a delightful surprise and reminded me a lot of an artist I’ve musically crushed on for a while and who’s also done some time on The Voice.
“Airy cool,” that’s what I thought of when Naia competed and that’s what I thought when I listened to Fire Breather. She has this feminine elegance to her voice that’s summed up nicely in the love song “Crazy Glue” and again with the one I can’t stop spinning, “Sing Me.” If I had to define this genre, a record store would hate me because it’d be “acoustic pop soul with a hint of reggae.” Try cataloging that Amoeba. Everything is calm and collected, and then things erupt with “Fire Breather.” That’s where you can hear Naia really get back to her island inspired roots. While the majority of the album is soft, this is where Naia showcases some sass; it’s meaty.
Fire Breather is for those (like myself) who love to drift away to the sounds of Colbie Caillat, and who is that other Voice gal Naia reminds me of? Angel Taylor. The reasons I loved her Love Travels album are the same I am getting close with Naia Kete’s latest, except for the pinch of reggae. That’s all Naia. Fire Breather is out June 11th, so make sure to give it a listen and then a buy when it drops.
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