K-Syran Dizzy Album Review
Earlier this year I had the pleasure of reviewing K-Syran's debut album, Smoke In My Veins, and found a lot to like. This Norwegian artist landed a #38 Billboard Chart ranking with her super catchy hit, "Hello" which definitely didn't leave my mind after hearing it. Impressive! It is true that she's becoming more of a household name as evident by a few of her current impressive stats:
A US Billboard chart hit
4 Top 10 dance tracks
a United Nations anthem
I have 10 new songs presented to me and find them more engaging this time around. I could connect with her, lyrically, on her last album but as far as a deep emotional connection, not as much as I did here. With Dizzy, I feel like I was sitting next to her on a couch just talking about life and the things that make our paths unique, all due to a magic recorded in the music.
Dizzy is also the name of the first song that starts off the album. Immediately, I find a great chorus hook and I'm grooving along with Temptation and the familiar song, Skin, but I hit amazement with the first "must have" song, Hudson River, as it sits me down and says to me, "hang on a few minutes, I have something to say."
As I become engrossed, Staring At the Wall keeps me seated and invested. This song is beautiful and I'm feeling her emotion. Excellent all away around!
Show Me treads along nicely into a passable My Angel Tonight and stops me again with LA. Again, I feel like I am in K-Syran's presence, as if I just asked her about something personal and she's looking at me telling me all about this heartache.
Call Out My Name continues to impress and Peace Song closes the album nicely with warm vibes.
I think I figured out what it is that pulled me in more this time around. The last album was promoted as a dance album, which to me means something you can get on the floor and just get down to with not much investment put into the lyrics. But K-Syran's lyrics were far too deep to disregard. They were different than the of basic ones that I'm used to hearing with dance songs. This caused me to find conflict. K-Syran's lyrics are deep, emotional and touching and was something I didn't think people on a dance floor would get into once they got into the lyrics. This time around I feel like the music matches her powerful lyrics that stand out in every song. I suppose that was all in the marketing I read. "Hello" was definitely a dance song but once I listened to the others on that album I considered her much more versatile, like a true artist with something to actually say.
Also, the music on Dizzy reminds me of 80's pop but not outdated. I reminisce about Madonna when she first started out as well as Belinda Carlisle and the Bangels. The music definitely moves the body but also makes you pay attention to what she's saying making sure you feel it in music and words.
On One End of the shovel:
K-Syran offers up a delicious assortment of emotions once again leading me to believe that half of the album will be on the radio. Staying true to her emotions and capturing the vibe strong enough to come through on the album gives this sophomore effort magic.
On the other end of the shovel:
If you absolutely detest 80's pop and consider this style in need of being overproduced then it may require a touch more effort on your part to stick with it. Although Philip Larsen and Chris Smith of the global team Manhattan Clique (Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Timbaland, Nicole Scherzinger), produced this album she won't stand out as an elite diva at first. This is only because you haven't gotten used to her yet. What's great about this artist is that she has uniqueness that will set her apart from them instead of sounding like them.
How deep can I dig it?
If you give K-Syran just a few minutes of your time you'll find that she will move you in ways that mean something both lyrically and musically. With more than half of every album so far sounding like radio hits, the songs stay in your mind easily after just one play. But, if for some reason this retro style sound never was your cup of tea you may decide to bypass a cup but you'd be mistaken to do so as eventually K-Syran will come to that elite point where everyone will like her, much like the other artists her producer produced. I dig Dizzy 8 out of 10 feet deep!