AISHA J - Day In The Life - EP REVIEW

AISHA J

Day In The Life

London, United Kingdom

Credit - Gwen Pemberton

Breathe deep, a sigh of relief. ‘day in the life’ by Aisha J is on and nothing can bother you. The smoothest EP I’ve heard in years. Aisha J brilliantly takes us to class, we explore jazz stylings, smooth funk frolics and a warm clear vocal that leaves you wondering why you haven’t heard of Aisha J before. ‘day in the life’ is a bout of musical autumn tones, and damn it's smooth.

The EP opens up with ‘Super Woman’. Instantly, the guitar feels like home, jazz phrases and walks litter the instrumental like leaves in the air; you can never quite tell where they’ll land but you know they’ll end up where nature intended. The vocals chime in not a moment too soon and they are somehow sharp and smooth, all at once. Lemon cream. The vocals ditty, they play with the melody and never strain for a second. The voice feels as if it was born to do this and the song flows with a modern vibe, conversational and complex, and best of all downright catchy. Just when you thought the song was enough it sighs, adding tender harmonies and doubling the guitar. Add some bass lines and a solo that’ll make your eyes close tight, and you’re onto one hell of an opening track.

‘Cool Girl’ follows up. It is a more modern offering but it still feels classic. Aisha J throws us some relatable lyrics wrapped in a melody that is confounding and I mean that in the nicest way. I sat listening to this EP wondering why I had never heard the name Aisha J before. I was led only to the conclusion that it is because no one has heard of Aisha J before, and that is certainly about to change. Running with a song like ‘Cool Girl’ in your back pocket will attract a lot of attention. It's a song that makes you bop, swoon and laugh. It's relatable, singable and hummable - in my book top ten-able. The mix of stellar vox, jazzy guitar and hip-hop percussion is a winner. I hope we see Aisha J blow up, we owe it to the music to play this on repeat.

The EP gives us a more heartfelt and narrative song with ‘No Answer’. Such a personal song but don’t you think for one second that you escaped the jazz. A piano rolls in and the vocals swing into action. It never for one moment feels forced. Vocals walk casually alongside the drums and rhythm section, a saunter of soul and we as blessed listeners get to sit around and watch the medley parley. The song is a sadder one but the message doesn’t take away from the smashing tune, Aisha J hasn’t sacrificed anything for the heart of the song and it shows.

We finish with ‘The Game’ a standout song. The flow is something new. It's sung with such clarity and style that it's baffling. Then the verse claps in and the lyrics drop down with them, becoming rhythmic and conversational, without losing their tone and musicality for a second. So much of the person is on show and it is, well, entertaining! The bass line is living its best life and the rest of the song comes along with it, a classic tale of splendid songwriting.

Most albums I walk to. I get a sense of the rhythm and pacing and when it changes. It's also a key feeling for me, to see where my head goes when I listen to a song a few times. I enjoy that two and fro. With ‘day in the life’ I stopped. It was too personal to walk through. I found a park bench in a duck pond and simply listened to the lifeblood pulse throughout the EP. I cannot recommend this offering from Aisha J enough. Learn the lyrics, they