Who is Ellene Masri? Check here out as Goddess Jones pick of the month.
“When I first sat down and listened to Ellene Masri’s debut album entitled “Music” I found myself almost immediately facing a dilemma. Despite my propensity for skipping to the next track on almost everything I ever come across for the first time, I was so captivated by the tabala in the opening song “Secret Lover” that I just had to listen to the whole track. Despite it’s obvious commercial appeal, it has a certain quality that suggest a degree of artistic integrity, that is sadly not so prevalent in theses times of fast food, disposable electronics and computer generated music.
Nonetheless I got to the second track with every intention to have a quick listen and skip on. But alas, my dilemma! The next track was equally as captivating but for very different reasons. Despite my itchy mouse - wanting so desperately to do what it does and drive me to the next track - I just couldn’t move it on. I was hooked. Track two “Lonely Girl” draws you into Ellene Masri’s world. A place where even the trees form part of the ensemble. But as it went on and on, track after track, I felt incapable of doing what I do. I just could not skip.When I got to track five “Music” the title track of the album, I resigned myself to just kicking back and letttin’ it flow until the end. Skipping is just not an option on an album like this.
When Ellene broke into the sweet tones and sublime melody of this aptly titled track, I was faced with yet another dilemma! Is her voice ‘velvet,’ ‘satin’ or ‘silk?’ Someone please research which one of those three is the smoothest and apply that to Ellene Masri. The last time I got this excited about a smooth jazz album it was Corrine Bailey Rae’s debut, before that I think it was Anita Baker’s “Sweet Love”. So when Chris Phillips designated Ellene’s debut album as “Album of the Week” on Jazz fm, I found myself thinking actually it’s my album of the decade.”
