Concert Review: ALA.NI Brings Simplicity And Sarcasm To Rockwood Music Hall

I know reading the title I have left you a bit curious. Simplicity? Sarcasm? ALA.NI? The UK songstress, currently living in Paris, graced the stage of Rockwood Music Hall. Bringing a quick wit that delighted the crowd and folk-jazz songs that sound like tales of old love, ALA.NI is an artist for those seeking a maturity in their sound.

Often old and mature are confused for the other or set as equals in meaning .Yet, an old person can be very immature, but we expect that with so many experiences an elder would have absorbed wisdom to give to younger generations. Still, one person, by age 22, can have lived a life three times fuller than someone aged 82 because of how well they took in their life for its lessons. I elaborate this point because, despite her youth, ALA.NI has a wisdom that would be attributed to someone of 100 years. Each of her songs comes off like the moral fables our grandparents give us to connect with our spirits and imprint upon them a sense of virtue. In between her songs on love and death, was a woman with a sarcasm and bright intellect that felt timeless. She amused the crowd with fast observances of both the night and the world. From politics to her Parisian life, ALA.NI appears like the most fascinating person in a party with a charisma that make her conversations with you feel important and solely between you and her. That night, her conversation came forward in tracks from her future debut album, You & I, which, gaining from last night, will blend classic feels of jazz and folk music with the eternal sentiments of being human.

It is always amazing to look back on the diaries, excerpts, and overall words of people that lived hundreds to thousands of years ago. You will find it strange to see that love, confusion, bliss, and depression seem to be natural to the human state no matter what era. It is in this that ALA.NI finds the words to her songs, even when improvised from lyrics that the audience writes for her. As she asked the crowd to write her words to sing towards the end of the show, I was surprised to see the seriousness and thoughtfulness they handed over. Despite her good humor, ALA.NI’s serious intelligence was felt, especially in her vocals. She has a voice that reminds me of the 1940’s radio stars. They sang with a vibrato that made they made them sound like radiators: shaking with warmth to give. It was inspiring to listen to her because you do not hear many artists that sound so much like the past but feel as fresh as the present. Yet, her high notes had to have been the most impressive aspect of her voice. Honestly, the whole crowd thought  ALA.NI spoke “Angel” as a formal language because her high notes were pure celestial. Moreover, how she contorted her mouth as she sang made it feel like her high notes were being rayed up to Heaven.

For a concert that gives heavenly peace and classic wisdom, I would recommend ALA.NI. We all need an artist that we can whip out amongst our Rihanna and Led Zeppelin tracks to remind us that being mature is a simpler process. Do not get me wrong. I love big productions and “in your face” styles, but sometimes the things that stay most in your heart are not that at all. ALA.NI shows that a soft voice can have a loud impact. For More Information On ALA.NI Click Here.