Finding the Rhythm

Earlier this week, one of my favorite dance recording artists, Jacinta (web site and MySpace), sent a copy of her latest release, which is out in the next few days. Titled Lumina, I had no idea what to expect when I put it in the CD player, but what came out was nonetheless surprising.

Instead of dance music, I found myself listening to beautiful tracks with Jacinta’s amazing vocals, paired with little more than a piano—laying bare what a talent Jacinta really is. Several months ago, a colleague shared a quote from a program director at a big dance radio station, claiming that Jacinta, “couldn’t sing.” I’m not sure what he’s hearing that I’m not, but after giving Lumina a listen end-to-end, he’s got to be judging some other Jacinta, because this Jacinta can deliver incredible emotion, depth and range.

An album with nine tracks in all, most of the songs were unfamiliar. But I think what makes this release so appealing is that it features three songs that are familiar to any Jacinta fan—but you’ve never heard them rendered this way. Electric Universe (arguably her best song to-date), Destination, and Can’t Keep it a Secret are all included in special “Dark Hours” versions that give each song new meaning and new texture. By stripping each track of its dance treatment, and pairing them with piano, it clears the way to really hear these songs; to digest the lyrics (which are conveniently included in the centerfold of the eco-friendly CD packaging), and to appreciate not only Jacinta’s vocal, but her songwriting skills as well.

It’s difficult to find anything to criticize with Lumina, but the purist in me wishes that the pianos were acoustic grands, rather than digital, a fact that probably would have escaped me if I wasn’t a piano player myself. And some of the tracks retained the digital effects applied to some of the vocal elements in their original versions, which detracts slightly from the “unplugged” flavor of the release.

But neither point diminishes the luster from this touching, emotion-laden, and beautiful collection of songs that is both expected (Jacinta’s vocals) and unexpected (the treatment of the songs); and both surprising (the beauty of the songs), and unsurprising (I already knew how great the songs were, just not how great).

Check it out and see if you agree. Hopefully Jacinta will continue to grace us with both powerful dance music—and the incredible soft side expressed in Lumina, that’s perfect for quieter times, romantic moments by the fire, or when you just need a soundtrack for sitting back and relaxing.