Vanessa Daou, Light Sweet Crude, Act I - Hybrid Daou Records, KID Recordings, 2013

"Vanessa Daou's evolution as an artist continues with Light Sweet Crude. The songs hit harder than anything she's ever done before ("Camouflage" is a revelation), yet it maintains her trademark lush layers of sound with an updated trip-hop vibe. And it wouldn't be a Vanessa Daou record without the impeccable poetry of her lyrics that meld effortlessly with a dance floor groove ("Danger Ahead") or an after hours chill out ("Bar D'O"). The whole album sounds immediate and now - as good or better than any of the electronic music coming out of the UK or the scene in the US. It's a triumph from beginning to end." — Collin Kelley

  LINER NOTES

By Chris Campbell

Vanessa Daou – a love affair of the ears

How do you describe an artist whose work has been the soundtrack of your youth, the touchstone of your adulthood and at the core of your humanity?

Before I say anything, let’s first get this inescapable fact out the way – international songstress Vanessa Daou is more than a singer, she is a force of nature, a bewitching and enchanting lyrical alchemist whose words pierce the spirit and enrapture the soul.

The Daou, Head Music Columbia Records, 1992

My introduction to and my first dalliance with Daou’s recorded music came when Vanessa was the lead vocalist and figurehead of the early 90s group The Daou, signed by the influential, forward-thinking A&R Senior Executive Director of Dance Music Dave Jurman at Columbia Records, who was instrumental in shaping the future of Dance Music as a force to be reckoned with.

"Head Music" spawned Vanessa's first of several #1 Dance Hits on Billboard with the remix of "Surrender Yourself" by renowned DJ Danny Tenaglia, now considered a Club Classic.

The Daou, Surrender Yourself #1 Billboard Club Chart Remix by Danny Tenaglia

The Daou was an outfit built around the sleek, brilliant, yet understated production wizardry of Daou’s ex-husband Peter in tandem with Vanessa's sublime and ethereal vocal artwork. Their album “Head Music,” pointed to wide-screen musical ambition and limitless potential, an aural and visceral fore gleam of visionary machinations that would fully manifest themselves in Daou’s future masterworks.

Vanessa Daou, Zipless MCA / Krasnow Entertainment, 1995

That first masterwork came under the guise of the ahead-of-its-time debut concept album, “Zipless", which caught the attention of legendary A&R executive Bob Krasnow who signed Vanessa to his then nascent imprint on MCA Records, Krasnow Entertainment.

"Zipless" was a stimulating blend of trip-hop, funk, cinematic house, and sensual poetry. Using selected works from Author and Poet Erica Jong as a lyrical foundation, the album would unleash a torrent of potent compositions that stirred the imagination.

With songs such as “Near the Black Forest,” “Dear Anne Sexton,” “Smoke” and the “Long Tunnel of Wanting You,” Zipless established the stylistic template of Daou’s music sensibilities while pushing the boundaries of high quality musical craftsmanship, high-end erotic and poetic lyricism and sanguine yet mystical inspired musical programming.

In short, it was music that in its purest form induced people to make love and at its most profound, compelled listeners to look inward and examine the reasons why they were in love. For me, it was an aural synthetic, a hit that was equally satisfying yet left an intense want.

The release of Daou’s 1996 “Slow to Burn,” would satisfy these yearnings but on a much deeper level. If “Zipless” was about intellectual ruminations on the sensual side of life, “Slow to Burn,” squarely aimed for the heart.

Vanessa Daou, Slow to Burn MCA / Krasnow Entertainment, 1996

Songs such as “If I Could,” “How Do You Feel,” “This Blue Hour” and “Two to Tango” portrayed a diva at the zenith of her creative powers who could effortlessly channel the mood of the hauntingly beautiful Billie Holiday, the exotic textures of Sade, and seamlessly blend them with a bewitching mix of acoustic instrumentation and electronic soundscapes (unique for the time) that would serve as a foundational point of reference for the electronica/chill genre that emerged years later.

“Slow to Burn” grooved, it haunted, and exhilarated.  It was at that moment that I realized that Vanessa Daou was a true diva who made songs with an authenticity that made you FEEL without resorting to gimmicks or histrionics. She was able to inscribe songs deep in your heart forever and with surgical precision.

And her voice….it was cognac seductively poured on the rocks, a Lucky Strike soaked in honey and absinthe that implied that not only did Daou SING these modern day electronic-bluesy torch songs – she LIVED them.

Vanessa Daou, Dear John Coltrane Oxygen Music Works, 1998

With my spirit satiated, Daou would release 1998’s “Plutonium Glow” and 1999’s “Dear John Coltrane,” two warm and cosmically organic musical thumbnails that embraced the groovier side of electronica (Plutonium Glow), while also giving recognition to iconic artists (Dear John Coltrane) and illustrating a continued upward trajectory and growth in her music.

Her 2000 release, “Make You Love,” with such emotionally poignant songs as “Love Child,” and “Mess Around,” represented a more pop-oriented approach with enchanting shades of dazzle and darkness. Her duet and lengthy tour with French Pop icon Etienne Daho would soon follow.

Vanessa Daou, Plutonium Glow Oxygen Music Works, 1999

By this time, Daou’s music was food for me. Her slinky yet sensual harmonic wordplay laid against a lush and gorgeous orchestral canvas empowered her voice to lead (me, the listener), almost simply by suggestion. Daou would go underground and take a lengthy break in the years that followed and only release “Joe Sent Me,” and the 4-tone poem "Love Among the Shadowed Things” which debuted on the seasonal Weird Tales for Winter segment of Jonny Mugwump & The Exotic Pylon, an experimental radio series broadcasting on London's community radio/Radio Art-format Resonance 104.4 FM.

Her hiatus would be inspired in part by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in her hometown of New York, an amicable split from her husband and creative

Vanessa Daou, Make You Love Daou Records / EMI (France), 2001

partner Peter, the desire to travel extensively and to perhaps disappear from her own celebrity.

To say there was a void would be an obvious understatement.

However, electronica and its various sub genres (i.e. - chill, down tempo, nu-jazz, etc) would emerge with a host of new and capable songbirds in tow such as Aya, Samantha James, Gaelle, and Santessa, to name a few.

Vanessa Daou, Joe Sent Me Daou Records, 2008

While each of those divas brought their own unique stylings to the table, you could clearly hear Vanessa Daou’s influence in their music – no question.

During this time, I subsisted on listening to her past releases, which proved to be a stimulating discovery with each listen. Hidden nuances that I hadn’t gleaned before became unearthed - but still a void remained.

Fast forward to 2013.

Vanessa Daou would resurface, but this time bearing gifts in the visage of her latest release “Light Sweet Crude.”

The phrase “Light Sweet Crude,” is grounded in linguistics. It looks at words multi-contextually and through a three dimensional lens - metaphorically, psychologically and historically. In short, it conveys the full range of history behind a subject or lyric. “Light Sweet Crude,” exemplifies that theme and is juxtaposed into two distinctive imaginings - Hybrid & Stripped.

Hybrid melds numerous sound aesthetics into an interconnected whole. Songs like “Danger Ahead,” “Trouble Comes,” “Love is War,” and “Just for You” and "One Thing I'm Missing" incorporates post-modern soundscapes with Daou’s trademark breathy delivery.

Built around synth & acoustic elements, Stripped adheres to a sonically rich, yet rhythmically multi-textured minimalism, cutting to the essence of each song subject and shedding light on a different look, feel and sound to Daou’s breathy and sensually-artistic delivery. "Down Low,” "The Risk We Take," and "Welcome to my Blues," are among the atmospheric meanderings that touch on personal and amorous affairs of the heart as Daou distills her experiences in two metaphorical, yet highly contrasting digital/analogue thought spaces.

The release is an adventure in word-smithing – one that sees Daou elevate her already superior lyricism to even loftier places. One word equals three meanings and the payoff is immediate, repeated and rewarding listening experiences.

"Light, Sweet, Crude" is a complete full circle evolution of Daou's musical journey – a journey that has taken her from being one of the premier architects of the electronica/chill/nu-jazz genre to a complete reinvention of her sound, style and substance.

Always personal, Daou uses this release to not only express the poignant side of life with all of its beautiful complexities, but also to touch on a deeper side of humanity in ways that are equal turns jarring and breathtaking.

With anything that is Vanessa Daou-related, it’s best to SHOW you rather than to tell you. You must hear it for yourself, because it's Vanessa Daou as you've never seen her before - unwrapped, unsheathed, and unencumbered. Do approach with caution, because you’re going on a ride of the senses that will indeed take you places – a ride that your heart, mind and most importantly your ears will thank you for later.

— Chris Campbell, October 2013

About

Chris Campbell is an writer/editor/author and has covered numerous aspects of music, film and urban culture. He is the author of the soul music history book “The Essential Neo Soul.”

Chris is Host of WDET’s “The Progressive Underground‘ Weekly radio show.

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