Smoke City
Flying Away

THE REVIEW

Flying Away - Dj, please play Smoke City for me

Trip Hop, Bossa Nova, Acid Jazz, English, Portuguese, French, two creative and original musicians, and a passionate and erotic voice.

There are many ingredients that form this colorful musical cocktail, which is the first album by Smoke City (1997 - and unfortunately, this is already half of their discography). The British trio was born from the meeting between DJ Mark Brown (programming, keyboards, percussion, effects, and vocals) and vocalist/composer Nina Miranda, joined by producer/musician Chris Franck (guitars, keyboards, bass, percussion, and vocals).

The varied and unique sound, combined with that jewel which is Miranda's voice (with her Brazilian-English-French origins), creates a truly original and absolutely contagious album. Starting with the first track, the leading single that introduced them to us: Underwater Love. Amidst liquid sounds, light samba mid-tempo percussion, and an ethereal trip-hop atmosphere, Nina enchants us with her seductive siren's voice, describing a love that seeps through the entire body as if made of water: "This must be underwater love, the way I feel it slipping all over me", while the singing alternates between English and Portuguese. Devil Mood is the most 'hardcore' moment: pounding drums for a Hawaiian dance on the slopes of a fiery volcano, while the voice, more lascivious than ever, confesses: "Mon diable, je t'adore" amid squeals and moans of pleasure. The sunny With You takes us to the blue skies of a Caribbean beach, a delicate melody of strings and reggae guitar, a touch of sitar, and a pinch of nostalgia: "With you I was me, and a bit of you too".

Preceded by the tribal and percussive Numbers and the spatial 'interlude n1', there is the mischievous and famous song as much as the single that preceded it, Mr Gorgeous, with its samba mood and the hot chorus "Ay ay ay ay ayayay!". The third single, released only in the UK (just like With You), is the very personal cover of the bossa nova classic Aguas De Março 'd'O Maestro' Antonio Carlos Jobim, a leading composer of Brazilian folklore (I recommend looking for the dreamy Bossa Nova Remix of the track, which is only available on the single). With a more chillout/electronic edge is the danceable semi-instrumental Dark Walk, followed by the folk string song Jamie Pan. Giulietta, a nocturnal ballad for arpeggiated guitar among crickets and the sea's waves, with a sweet voice delicately singing about how Giulietta discovers her body and the Kamasutra: "Love is a religion and your lover is your god". The playful interlude n2 introduces us to the final title track: a pop melody with a layered arrangement of keyboards, flutes, and bells bids us farewell: "Il faut que je part, mon avion va partir... goodbye sweet romance, I am flying away now..."

Who knows if they will return..