Mirah

I was first introduced to Mirah in Tracks in Bloomington. I was searching through used and discarded cds when I heard some of the oddest sounds I had ever heard on a cd. I asked the guy at the register and he showed me to her cd's and told me she had performed in Bloomington that summer. I am so sad I wasn't there for that concert. I immediately went home and bought 2 other albums.

Mirah is from Philadelphia and published her first album when she was 23. She signed to K records two years later. She has several albums out, the latest being Share This Place: Stories and Observations with Spectraton International.

Her voice changes with her mood. She treats it like an instrument, singing low in an almost whisper, then changing to a light jazz feel in the very next track. She has done a lot of work with the Phil Evrum and the Black Cat Orchestra, making every song's background unique. With such versatility, you never get bored as you listen to her albums. Her lyrics are clever and almost harsh.

I want to say a little bit about Share This Place because it is such a different album. This was my first experience with Mirah and I was not sure how to take it. Every track revolves around the life of a different insect and sings mostly from their prospective. At first, the lyrics seemed earthy and meaningless, but once I realized she was singing as a beetle, for example, I was incredibly impressed. Her whole album urges the listener to notice life, even in its smallest form, and coexist. I thought it was a very clever way to get her message across.

Overall I give her a 9 out of 10. She became one of my favorite artists the day I heard her in Tracks and I really think you will like her too.

You can find out more about her on myspace. If you like her, try Imogen Heap, Frou Frou, and Feist.

Favorite Track: The Garden
Favorite Album: Advisory Committee