Anjalica Solomon
5:01pm - 5:59pm
If Raveena Arora, Leanne La Havas, and Akua Naru had a musical brainchild, it would be emerging musician Anjalica Solomon. With their debut, “Honey Queen” an erotic, queer love poem written in the spirit of neo soul artists such as Erykah Badu Solomon showcases their talent as a vocalist trained in the classical hindustani tradition and jazz. In a radio world filled with pop songs about love between cis men and cis women, this queer brown anthem is a radical act of resistance.
Solomon is a genderfluid Desi singer, songwriter, lyricist, pianist, clarinet player, loop pedalist, poet, spoken word artist, organiser and multi-disciplinary performer based in what is colonially known as Vancouver, B.C. They live on the stolen and unsurrendered territories of the Coast Salish, Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh and Musqueam Nations.
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1: Nightflyer. Talk about a song that could have been a massive hit back in the days of the whole Laurel Canyon scene in seventies California. Russell sings with such a smooth soulfulness that you know she isn’t exaggerating when she talks about being a “midnight rider, nightflyer and an angel of the morning too.”
2: Persephone. Blessed with a fluid and flexible instrument, Russell can entirely morph from one song to the next. She is a fully countrified crooner à la Kelly Willis on this celebratory love song. The killer clarinet break is probably courtesy of Russell too.
3: Hy-Brasil. This tune seems to be a variation on a klezmer classic awash in acid rock reverb and then it shifts completely. The ensuing drum-and-voice folk chant that sounds straight out of the Appalachian songbook. It’s a heart-wrenching confessional about soul travelling from bad places.