Isaboe is a mostly self-taught musician who has been writing songs since she was only fourteen years old. In December of 2008, she released her first album, Love Sun. She got her musical start at the tender age of five when her dad taught her paradiddles on his drum kit. As she grew older, she discovered The Police and a love for drumming, which then led to her picking up her sister’s guitar. Music soon became her favorite pastime.
The album was a long time coming. She spent a lot of time dabbling in songwriting and playing in garage bands. She finally started work on Love Sun in 2006 and after many re-writes, she has it ready for our ears.
The finished product is a mixture of pop and something close to new age. In fact, at times Isaboe manages to sound a little like Elizabeth Fraser of The Cocteau Twins. Most of the tracks on Love Sun have that dreamy sound that makes you want to chillax with an ice-cold drink on a beach somewhere. It would best be described as progressive pop. The arrangements make you think of bands like the Annie Haslam-fronted Renaissance.
The album opens with the poppy “Brightest Love,” a song with a great guitar hook and a very psychedelic sound. Isaboe’s vocals are strong and the song has a way of catching the listener’s ear. “Calling To You” sticks with the same psychedelic pop formula, in the manner of The Lightning Seeds or Modern English.
When you reach “Future World,” the tone of the album shifts. The songs slow down and take on a more ambient feel. The vocals are still lush, but one song can easily be interchanged for another. The title track is probably the best of the more ambient-sounding tracks. It is a love song sung from a higher plane. The song’s message is reminiscent of the love songs of Flower Power era.
“Golden Year” is a song of reflections that brings us back to a more upbeat sound again. “Revelation” gives a glimpse of some of Isaboe’s philosophies of life. It is a mellow track with haunting vocals that will leave you pondering what she’s singing about.
The best song on Love Sun comes just as the album is about to wrap up. Isaboe gives us a taste of musical perfection with “Home.” The vocals are ethereal and the lyrics show just how powerful Isaboe’s songwriting can be. The album’s closer, “For All Our Days,” is a fitting closer to the album. It is another dreamy ambient track with just a hint of guitars to keep it from sounding too bland.
Isaboe has a definite talent for songwriting and her voice provides a blissful listening experience. When she keeps the songs sounding more poppy she does well, but when she lets things drift into that ambient aura the originality of the music disappears. Still, this is a solid debut by a songwriter that the world definitely deserves to hear more of. There aren’t many songwriters out there who can express emotion quite as well as Isaboe, and that is what sets her apart.
Review by Andrea Guy
