• Band / Artist : Arthi Meera – mySpace
• Genre : Acoustic / Pop
• Sample Track Download : Insulation
• Buy CD : CD Baby
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 8.5 out of 10

Sometimes with life running at a mile a minute, it’s a good idea to mellow out and let your fractured soul heal a bit. With that in mind, I pulled out this CD, as I’d been hanging onto it for a while, as I really wanted to be in the right frame of mind to review it. This is one of those CD’s that no matter how wound up you are feeling, it manages to soothe and relax.

A great opener, “Silty Sea” really wastes no time in showcasing Arthi’s gorgeous voice, with just the merest hint of accompaniment, both musically and vocally, just a fairly prominent acoustic guitar to drive the song forward. “Wander Away” is fairly upbeat, in comparison to the majority of tracks, but it works and really comes alive when the chorus breaks, with great production on the vocals. “It’s Not You” is a more dour track, on the subject of breaking up and it’s not until I really listened to the lyrics, that the song really came alive.

“Write It Out Plain” is a track that really failed to deliver for me. It’s all very sweet, but there’s just something about the track that feels like it’s just plodding along. “LV” raised a smile with me, but not due to the song, but the memory the title invoked. LV was often a symbol seen during the 80s, which meant that a shop/cafe took luncheon vouchers, a bit like gift certificates for food, which some companies gave out as an added bonus to employees. I haven’t thought about those in many, many years. Anyway the song itself has the most wonderful guitar track, where again repetition proves a well skilled art form. Wonderful stuff. The album ends with the elephant inspired, “Pink and White and Gray” where again Arthi’s voice comes out in force to bid the listener farewell. Talking of elephants, I have to mention the album cover, which is just a wonderfully simple, but very effective.

I have to say Arthi has a wonderful voice that draws direct comparison to one of my favorite independent artists, The Weepies’ Deb Talen. There’s also a more than passing resemblance to the early works of Suzanne Vega. All 10 tracks on this album are very, very mellow, which on one hand is great, but also the albums biggest problem, as I very rarely listen to albums like this, unless I am in a particular mood. Maybe I should just take my own advice and mellow out a bit more, I have the perfect album for it.

Conclusion : Beautiful, mellow and just the perfect antidote to the breakneck speed of life.