Vancouver singer-songwriter native Theda Phoenix has one of those voices that’s at once familiar but yet you can’t quite put your finger on it. The closest I could place it would a cross between Jewel and The Cranberries, without the rock bombast.
All At Once starts the album off with a folk vibe, with lush vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar flourishes.
Next is Ready To Love which introduces Theda to the Adult Contemporary audience with it’s ambient backdrop and touches of strings and keyboards.
Butterfly features whispering background vocals and a reverb soaked slide guitar, complimenting the simple country influenced melodies.
Feels Good picks up the pace just a bit and has sort of a kids song feel to it, with fast rhyme verses and bongos venturing into hiphop territory. But don’t worry, there are no Kanye West guest appearances here and the choruses bring it right back into familiar territory that we start to expect as we journey through this exceptional album.
Light In You seriously ventures into Cranberries harmonies. Theda’s voice is spot on and especially this song shines bright as it demonstrates her amazing voice control and vocal depth, soaring at times.
As the album goes on I notice how fluid the arrangement of Legacy is. The songs flow so nicely from one to another, and while there are no jolting songs that switch gears or genres. The album is gentle, lighthearted and vocally centered.
There’s some nice acoustic work as the intro to All Beings Are Free begins. Some gentle timbre eases the song into drum machine beats that manage to somehow fit into this organic piece.
Simply is stripped down to just a guitar and vocals, the song could easily be converted to a rock song format. Legacy, the title track follows the format to a near T until the halfway point where bass and background keyboards make their way in as more instruments build the song with a kickdrum stomp.
On The Water kicks off with a nice clean reverbed out guitar while Theda tells her tales with her incredible voice. The melodies are certainly borrowed and familiar, but it’s that familiarity that gives the listener a certain comfort.
This Journey rounds out the album. All in all, Legacy is a terrific release by a talented singer-songwriter who definitely has honed her craft. She is one to watch among the folk and adult contemporary artists.
Website: www.thedaphoenix.com
By: Anony
