Music Review: Prisiclla Ahn's "A Good Day"

Maybe it's just me, but it feels like women's presence in popular music today is being flooded by terrible "dance" music that has blatant references to getting drunk, grinding on guys in the club, and sex (see Kesha, Lady Gaga). What happened to good singer-songwriters who have great voices, play instruments well, and have some depth and passion to their songs? Well, they exist...they just don't get the coverage they deserve. There are some exceptions-KT Tunstall, whose awesome song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" was a hit single. The great thing about KT is she has skills, and her lesser known songs are even better. So who else is worth a listen?
Enter Priscilla Ahn, a Los Angeles based singer-songwriter...

Ahn's debut album, A Good Day, was released in 2008-I know what you're thinking. Isn't it a little late to be doing a review then? Well, to be honest I didn't discover Ms. Ahn's talent until somewhat recently after having her pop up on my recommended radio on last.fm. She just released a new single called "In A Tree", and in order to spread the Priscilla word, I offer my signature album review with track to track breakdown. Check it out:

Dream-A very pleasant, flowing track. Instantly, one gets a feel for Priscilla's voice-smooth, wispy, and warm. Unfortunately, I find the occasional swell of strings takes away from her amazing voice and the great sound of her acoustic guitar.

Wallflower-My favorite track on the album. Great guitar, and once again, she sounds great. The lyrics are funny, playful, and yet relatable. The vocal melody is sure to put a smile on your face. Subtle harmonies also enhance this great song.

I Don't Think So-An slightly Southern-inspired song, both in it's guitar melody and lyrics. Another playful track with fun lyrics, and great harmonica playing Priscilla (yeah...she plays harmonica too!)

Masters In China-This track brings the pacing down a little bit, with a slow, arpeggiating guitar melody, slow jazz-like drums, and quieter vocals from Priscilla. It's a love song to someone unnamed, and while the lyrics are nice, it is definitely a little slow.

Leave The Light On-Another Southern-inspired song, that almost sounds like it came from Johnny Cash or maybe Nancy Sinatra-it features swinging guitar rhythm, a running baseline, and a twangy lead guitar.

Red Cape-This track definitely has the most unique instrumentation, including vocal effects and layering, xylophone-like percussion, and minor synth effects. Overall though, it all works, and the lyrics are great.

Astronaut-This one sounds like it's almost straight out of texas, with it's southwestern sound that includes twangy slide-guitar sound. This song sounds like something that would be playing on a hot summer night, under the stars.

Lullaby-This track uses strings once again, though this time they sound brilliant. The opening cello sets the song up nicely, and violins are plucked to create a nice dream-like sound (finding for the name of the sound). Priscilla's voice really shines here, holding soft notes that sound very comforting.

Find My Way Back Home-Right away, you've gotta love this one for the ukulele. It opens the song and puts you on a beach in away, the tide rolling in. The lyrics are nice, and the instrumentation is minor (the ukulele and a xylophone), highlighting Priscilla's smooth voice.

Opportunity To Cry-This track has a great "rolling" melody that is sure to make you tap your foot and nod your head. Vocal harmonies are used again to great effect, and the harmonica makes an awesome comeback.

A Good Day (Morning Song)-Right away, this track starts with some lovely sung notes by Priscilla and a piano with a pitch that is slightly bent, giving it that intended feeling of waking up in the morning. Another slower one, but the piano makes it very nice. (This would be great to wake up to)

We Were Free-Another track that features great instrumentation, including two banjos that sound great. They work incredibly well off the guitar, and Priscilla's voice fits in perfectly.

Bottom Line: While overall the album can be quiet, soft, and slow in points, it's an excellent showcase of Priscilla Ahn's talent, highlighted with a variety of great instruments ranging from harmonica to banjo. It's a great album to put on for a summer night when you're sitting outside, cold one in hand.

Grade: B


Check out Priscilla's cover of The Beatles "Julia" below-it's an excellent demonstration of how great she sounds just playing guitar and singing.