This new version of SUMO y Los Hermanos del Alma’s “Oya” is an awesome piece of music album that has maintained and in fact dramatically enhanced the impact of the artist’s stunning vocal performance and lyricism.
From the first few seconds that leading vocal strikes with power and passion and draws you right in. The track itself has a great melodic flow and it’s always a pleasure to listen to SUMO y Los Hermanos del Alma’s music as he offers so much truth and so much of himself and his own experiences in his writing, he doesn’t hide behind the music, he embraces it as a creative platform to express something honest and meaningful. “Oya” is yet another great album from him and the whole thing is something else entirely.
First and foremost, the songs of the album are well written, and beautifully performed. At all times there is something blissful to clutch on to; the leading vocal has a softness to it, almost like a melodic whisper on occasion, and the latin instruments featured throughout showcase some beautifully atmospheric riffs. The song’s melody is simplistic in nature, which works well within the homely embrace of the song – the hook leaves its mark early on and stays with you for a fair while afterwards.
What’s interesting about the song is that for the most part it feels like a gentle – the sort that you could listen to alone, at home, through headphones, staring out of the window and forgetting about the world for a while. However, there’s a striking level of energy to the track that confidently brings it into some other realm. The rhythm is upbeat, uplifting, always appropriately light sounding but increasingly energetic, adding to the overall effect of the song this notable feeling of the outdoors, of summertime, of running through the fields to get back to the place you call home. Alongside of the beat, the instrumentation and the vocal parts increase in intensity too, so as the song progresses it becomes something much more than a simple album, it in fact becomes more and more unique, and it’s extremely memorable to listen to.
In so many unusual and unexpected ways the music is effective and memorable, and that’s a huge part of what makes its beauty so striking. It’s an expression of experience that only the artist may truly understand at first, but it’s undeniably accessible – not portrayed as some distant, unwelcoming thing. It works brilliantly as it is and it’s a pleasure to witness the notes and the emotions unfolding around you as the track progresses.
