Search - Pelvic Delta :: Heavy Moon

Solid and soulful, haunting and innovative

Stephanie Cimino | NYC, USA | 08/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"That's how I'd describe this sizzling debut CD. I found Pelvic Delta purely by accident. While I was working online, I wanted to listen to some Eryka Badu, and tried to find "Baduizm" through a web search. One of the sites that came up was for a band with a lead singer who was supposed to sound like Badu, with a middle-eastern touch. I listened to the samples from the CD which were provided on their website, and I was instantly hooked. It wasn't so much that Ami Saraiya sounds like Eryka Badu, but she's a powerful, fluid singer with a sexy, haunting style, backed by some solid musicians. It was the song "Strange" that did it for me, and I knew I had to have this CD. The beat does have a middle-eastern flavour, but it's accompanied by work on guitar, sax and bass that are soulful and melodic. My only complaint with this track and some of the others is that it doesn't go on long enough, and I have to play it over and over. And that it's impossible to sit still while listening to it, the slight rhythm changes make me want to get up and dance.Pelvic Delta reminds me of bands from the golden age of rock, back in the sixties. Songs full of surprises, musicians full of talent; a variety of styles -- blues, soul, rock, jazz, even reggae and a small portion of some tasteful, sophisticated rap. The incredible store of talent is apparent from the very first track, "In My Arms" which displays Ami at her most heartrending, but also is driven an unusual syncopated rhythm which displays the prowess of drummer Jeff Thomas. This is another song that haunts the memory and senses, with its eerie combination of vibes, keyboards and guitar, and some nice sax riffs.The title track, "Heavy Moon" is equally good, but again, different. It features some beautiful guitar work by guest guitarist Carols Villalobos, which has a hint of Spanish. The solo is superb and again, ends much too quickly. This is a song that I've got to hear performed live. It's powered by a strong bass line that makes me want to blast it full volume, and that's something that rarely happens in my listening experiences.I could go on and on about the other gems contained on this CD, but if you like what you've read so far, you'll want to discover them for yourself. You've heard my only complaint -- I want the music to go on and on. Pelvic Delta is a Chicago-based band and from what I've read, it seems they do quite a bit of performing in that area, although they've also toured a bit. I'm waiting for them to come to the East Coast, and I'll travel to hear them. If they jam on some of the cuts from this CD, I'll be in heaven. Their new CD, "Eleven Days", has just come out, so look for my review of that one ... that is, if I can stop listening to Heavy Moon long enough to play it."