The Garden Of Eve. Malia

Just by reading the title I had expected a totally different sort of album. Sifting through the announced releases for this week, I put it on, not expecting much. It turns out The Garden Of Eve is the favourite of the week.

Malia presents a totally relaxed form of blues with nice swaths of soul and gospel worked into her blues. What is immediately ear catching is the warmth of the sound. The kind of warmth Dan Auerbach also creates as a producer of albums for others. The organic sounds of an organ and guitars make up the whole.

There's only one complaint. 'The Thrill Has Gone', what has become B.B. King's signature song, is sped up and to my ears loses its power. Perhaps I'm prejudiced here as my own band plays a cover that slows it down even more.

For the rest The Garden Of Eve is an album that explores different sides of the blues guaranteeing variation and liveliness. Where many albums by bluesmen for several decades are often excuses to fit in as much heavy-played notes into one bar, Malia's album is feminine and delicate. In a song like 'Me & My Girlfriend' even moves into the jazzy direction of songs that made Caro Emerald as staple in most of the world. On the other hand in 'Freedom at Last' she rocks out in a dirty way with a guitar playing a lead roll laying the sleazy sound thick on it.

Promo Photo: Dennis Dirksen

Malia is a singer from Malawi but the world has become her oyster. For this album she worked with German musicians e.g.. This is her seventh album since 2002. With her hoarse voice, that obviously has seen the road and life itself, she leads the band playing for her. Everything around her is created to make her voice shine. The playing, the mix, there's no doubt about who the star of this record it.

Because of her voice and choice of repertoire she outshines a blues singer like Janiva Magness easily. On the other hand I do not hear a fabulous song like 'That's What Love Will Do' on The Garden Of Eve. In atmosphere the album comes closer to the recent work of Beth Wimmer, a more traditional singer-songwriter in voice and repertoire, yet her work with Mojo Monkeys results in a quality and mood I find here as well.

It's so easy to slip into the rhythm and mood of The Garden Of Eve. Malia leads me all of the way and takes me through the album, song by song, genre by genre. "Death doesn't frighten me at all", she sings in 'Death". A sound advice while living in times of Corona. Stay healthy, dear readers.

Wo.


Listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g