j elijah - She Comes in Peace



by Lucia

J Elijah may not appeal to the thoughtless cotton candy crowd-he's deeper than any new artists I've come across in ages. He's REAL--lyrically and vocally. He truly has one of the most creative, expressive voices I've heard since discovering Little Earthquakes years ago. With ease, he plucks each of his songs, molds them in his hand and gives us some of the most exquisite songs you'll hear anywhere. When I first discovered him, I wanted to...as a matter of fact, I DID say aloud "Yes! here's an artist that I can completely appreciate!” He's a newer, fresher Rozz Williams, a more daring Tori Amos, and there's even a hint of Trent Reznor in there, but J Elijah is far more than these comparisons. He's a brilliant musician and he's already perfected his art-and the music world, the real fans of real music need to hear this masterpiece. His music takes you to a Tim Burton-ish world at times, with foreboding notes and gorgeous shrieks of emotion that has effortlessly climbed its way into the repeat position on my iPod. The following are just some of the highlights from She Comes In Peace:

The CD opens with the gorgeously dark “Here She Comes”, which spins a heavy mystery with lyrics like: "Where has she been? what does she look like?", When I first heard this song, I was on the edge of my seat thinking, "Wow, who IS she??" A million images continue to run through my colorful imagination whenever I listen to this song. The vocals play that mystery up perfectly--J’s tiny sighs feeding the suspense and then: "You know, she's coming" leaves us not knowing what to expect next..

"Breathe" catches us where "Here She Comes" drops us - the vocals on this song are some of my favorites, with overtones of Prince back in the glory days of Prince when his creativity ran wild. J Elijah's voice IS an instrument and he pulls you along with his stories so easily, but he needn't pull too hard, because he very easily makes you WANT to come along for the ride.

At the moment, "Go On", is probably my favorite track, but with such a selection, that changes, depending on my mood. The lyrics and the vocals are absolutely untouchable. Its one of those songs that I love so much, I'd sing along with-if it weren't for the fact that I enjoy his vocals too much to taint them--so instead I listen like an attentive child--Much like I listen to Tori Amos' Blood Roses or Waitress.

"Remember" is one of those songs I wish I would have penned under the personal circumstances that come to mind every time I hear this song. His vocals are at some of their most dynamic in this song, and is reminiscent of Rozz Williams' better moments when J Elijah lets go and wails so sweetly tortured for us.

"All the time" begins with a beautiful string of notes and J Elijah sounds like a much darker Tori--pulling us into shadows we know we shouldn't venture into. By the end of the song he's given us multitudes of velvety vocals that really need to be heard to be appreciated.

"Hallelujah" is a beautiful song full of more mysterious lyrics--Vocally, J. sounds dark, wicked, sinister even, full of the rare, delicious vocals that are impossible to find in new music. He toys with the lyrics like a cat with his mouse, twirling them easily around the music in some dead of the night dream that we can't get enough of.

"The Blue Dress" exhibits what a poet Elijah really is, and again, he spins your imagination in circles-leaving you to wonder just who was wearing the blue dress and what kind of woman evokes such raw inspiration from such a poet.

The CD ends perfectly with "Sleep in Peace", which is the perfect ending for such a CD--spinning the same mystery as the introduction, “Here She Comes”, the song that took us by the hand and led us into this netherworld--where Elijah sits grinning at us with a Cheshire grin, as he feeds us these fantastic stories. "Sleep in Peace" leaves us to again wonder about his mysterious muse, and really feeling every growled word that he gives us. This song is the perfect example of his pure emotion, and again--put it on and listen for yourself: "If I had a little bit of everything you took away, I might be a very rich man If I had a little bit of all the things you say oh, I could sleep in peace."

Wow, I'm sold, completely. J. Elijah is the freshest, most original thing to happen to music in a very, very long time.