If you take Dania Abu Shaheen, a Lebanese poet and combine her with Zilpha Starnes, a songtress from Dallas then you get, Starnes & Shah promoting their latest release, “Red Brick Tide”, and what a combination they do make.
When you hear a band like these two young ladies you can not help but think both were put on this earth solely to find each other and create musical fusion. They have a rare dynamic that intertwines their vocals into beautiful melodic threads. At times it is difficult to hear what they are singing about because your so wrapped in the cadence of the instrumentation. Of course, their voices are as much of an instrument as the guitar and drums themselves.
However, Dania must be putting her poetic skills to use. These girls seem to know exactly how to build impactful lyrics. They have a clear beginning, middle and end. Each song is a short 3 minute movie. Their message is universal leaving nothing to your imagination. It evokes you to put your own experiences in place of theirs until your lost in a world under your own terms. As a songwriter myself, I have to say, well done that is not an easy thing to do. These ladies are refreshing and bring a whole new playing field to the music industry.
The CD title, “Red Brick Tide” is brilliantly visual and fitting for the music that is compiled in this project. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it to anyone out there seeking something fresh and new.
Rebecca Hosking – rebeccah@skopemag.com
[Rating: 4/5]
