𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 - this week: Aji Aji - Sara Baya, Gerald Toto

Welcome all to 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿, a series of weekly reviews by Charles Connolly - an artist in his own right. Here, Charles delves into the greatest brand new singles brought to you by the best unsigned artists on our electrifying and eclectic set of 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙩 𝙎𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 playlists.

𝘼𝙟𝙞 𝘼𝙟𝙞 - 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙮𝙖, 𝙂𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙙 𝙏𝙤𝙩𝙤

Charles spices it up a bit…

Spring has sprung! The daffodils are out in bloom. The air is full of fragrance. It is decidedly mild. All of this is at least how it is in London. I cannot speak for the snowier regions of the world, nor the desert climate of others. In London, the wind has tired from its usual bluster. Winter - though not a bitter one - seems too to have got bored and wandered off. It could of course greet us with a bite at any moment, but let’s hope not. Spring is such a hopeful season. A haze of new life lingers over the horizon in my view as I write. A fresh start. Think of New Year… We go from Winter to even colder Winter. It doesn’t really feel very new. It’s one of the many reasons why people get so depressed in early January - the new year feels suspiciously like the old year… Yet Spring, really does feel like a new-born beginning. How’s about we move New Year to March 20th? I’m sure there are some cultures/societies/nations/religions that do this. There seem to be so many New Years every year, which makes me feel much older. But I won’t speak about age because it’s boring. I want to speak about youth.

More specifically, the youth of nature - or what we have left of it. Spring is all about nature. I suppose all the seasons are about nature, but then (with other seasons) we tend only to mention the weather. Nature is more than weather. I was walking through my local park the other day, and I couldn’t believe the volume of the birds! I don’t mean the squawk of a crow or a magpie (they’re territorial). I mean the little birds. The tiniest ones that could perch comfortably on the tip of your little finger (the finger that occasionally and unwillingly sticks out when you struggle to play a certain guitar chord). These are the birds with the beautiful voices. The melodies that sing the most innocent youth. And it’s all because of Spring. It’s delightful! If only we could understand the poetry they’re singing. Probably something like “Oi, Roy. What’s that bloke doing staring at us?” - to which Roy would probably reply, “Oi, Dave, I see you’re still shitting like a trooper”. Just beautiful. Perhaps best we don’t know what they’re saying… But what else does Spring have to offer? The bees, of course! And other assorted flying varieties. Have you noticed? They frequently bash head-first into my window at a hundred miles an hour - it’s quite amusing, really. It’s like an alarm clock that knocks instead chiming, so as to tell me it’s Spring. Hah! It just happened again. Anyway, they’re here in abundance, and it’s lovely. Now that I’ve told you about the birds and the bees, there’s one more thing that makes Spring, Spring. The most important thing. The flowers and the budding of the trees. It’s the biggest giveaway that the season has changed. No longer are the trees looking like gnarled, emaciated corpses. They’ve been given another chance to prove their worth (providing man doesn’t intervene and consider them worthless). Oh, and those daffodils! They’ve really gone to town this year in my area of London - just everywhere! But as they have quite a brief time on Earth (in earth) each year, it’s worth savouring their yellow hues. Some pale, some as orange as an organic egg yolk! Basically, Spring is wondrous. It is the lift we needed.

But how are WE affected by Spring? We are not birds. We are not insects. We are not flowers. Aside from enjoying the general scene, it’s the weather. Yep, THAT old chestnut (a decidedly unseasonal choice of nouns). We are noticeably warmer. We don’t have to wrap up in layers, or opt for the mandatory “duvet coat” people seem to wear these days. We can just wear a jacket. Admittedly it seems like people don’t seem to have a temperature gauge these days (thermometer, CC. It’s called a thermometer); I still see people in Midsummer wearing arctic gear… But the sensible ones will opt for wearing a sensible thing in sensible Spring. Spring is not hot. But it’s definitely comfortable. Mild, if you will. And speaking of mild, when it comes to my culinary tastes, I tend to go for mild. Not tasteless, good GOD! I’ve simply never been a fan of hot and spicy. Especially as the climate warms up. Curry’s not for me. However, lately I’ve found myself becoming a fan of a little light chilli in various dishes. Not the heavy white pepper taste of black heat and nothing more. Fresh chilli, or even dried chilli flakes. There’s just something about it that livens things up, a little like Spring does. It sort of reminds you to be conscious. In small doses it doesn’t take over, but enhances the overall flavour. A bit like Spring giving you hints of the Summer to come, but without the burn and the “Oi, Roy, I don’t suppose you’ve got any water? I’m parched!”, to which Roy replies, “Oi, Dave, you’re not parched, you’re perched!”… Dave poos on an unsuspecting passerby: “Got ‘im”.

Along with the wonder of Spring comes lawnmowers and leaf blowers. Oh what joy. Really adds to the ambience… Thankfully, I can plug myself into my new noise-cancelling earphones and virtually erase the horror, replacing it with music. What music, you say? Well, a brand new song released to mark the dawn of this pretty little season. Here’s Sara Baya and Gerald Toto with Aji Aji. Sara Baya is the New Artist Spotlight member here, and she’s relatively new, too! Having joined us only in January, this is her first single since being a member. It is also only her second release so far; the first being in December. Although not her full real name, I will stick with “Sara” as she might prefer to keep her real name out of the public gaze. Here’s looking at you, “Frank Joshua” and “fábjáni”… Alors. Right from the beginning - single numéro un - Sara decided to go with Gerald Toto for her producer/all round music man. VERY wise choice. Not only are they both French, but Gerald is exceptional at his craft - matching her own talents in a different way. While Sara is the singer, they both write together, making it more of a duo than an artist and producer. A little like Summer Lee Carlson and Mute Speaker. There’s also some writing help from Jule Japhet, but since I cannot find a single bit of info on this person, I will move on. Thank you, JJ, nevertheless. I’m also unsure if Gerald mixed the song as well as producing it, but either way, this mix is very pro. As is the writing, singing, playing and production.

Aji Aji is such a breath of Spring air. It is not the sort of song I would normally review. But that isn’t because it’s not to my taste. It’s because it is quite rare to come across such a sound, especially in the NAS. I might be wrong, but I believe this to be the first reggae song I have reviewed. Probably wrong, bearing in mind ALL the songs I have reviewed, but it’s highly plausible either way. Reggae is not as usual as pop, rock, country, acoustic or electronic. Fewer people are into such a genre. Now, while I HAVE come across reggae in the NAS, it has almost always failed to capture the authentic vibe. It either feels forced or it frankly sounds poor. Or, it’s ska, which is simply different. I’m talking roots, here. PROPER reggae. And sure enough, Gerald Toto is originally from the West Indies - so it makes sense that it sounds genuine. Reggae works best when it’s made by people of that origin, just like black soul music and Brazilian samba. I know that I could never pull off Brazilian samba, because I am not Brazilian. That is not to say it cannot be done, but that it simply makes sense if one’s roots are roots. It’s in the blood, ya get? Both Sara and Gerald are in their element here as they groove their way through three and a half minutes of the coolest sunny rays. This really takes me back around 15 or 20 years, when I used to be really into reggae. You know Trojan Records? I had almost the complete collection! Scores of cds - yes, sadly cds and not LPs, but STILL! You don’t know Trojan Records? It was for reggae what Motown Records was for black soul music. Aji Aji deserves to be on Trojan Records (or Sanctuary Records, as they are now). It really is that good. But that’s the vibe… What about the voice? Speaking of those little birds, Sara Baya is another bird with a beautiful voice. It’s confident, but it’s smooth. Her throat is forward, with a distinctively French accent, but not like the sexy French stereotype. There’s something more real here. She flows in and around the strummed guitar, the deepest bass, the drums and the fullest percussion, like she’s in her own forest. Sara knows each branch of every tree as she comfortably walks barefoot along her well trodden path. She can feel it, having no conventional need for her eyes, other than to consume the natural beauty that surrounds her.

Thankfully for me, the words are in English, other than the odd rhythmic utterance (extremely cool). Oh, and the title. It turns out that Ají is a kind of chilli pepper from South America. So she must really like life to be a little on the spicier side of things… I did wonder though, if this was quite what she was singing about, so I delved further. Apparently Aji also means taste in Japanese. Okay… So we’re still in the world of food…? Right… Then I got ALL the books out and really went to town on my research. I was determined to find a more viable meaning for this song's title. I found several more things, but one definition struck me. Incantation is apparently what Aji means. And it can be pluralised to Aji-Aji!! This simply MUST be it. For those still in the dark, I will quote my source: “The act or process of using formulas and/or usually rhyming words, sung or spoken, with occult ceremonies, for the purpose of raising spirits, producing enchantment, or creating other magical results”. SURELY that’s got to be it. A kind of spell. No doubt with spicy ingredients. These articles may take me a long time, but I sure do learn a lot! More to the point though, I get so much joy out of all this wonderful music you’re all making. Aji Aji is the purest reggae, with hints of Morcheeba. Both Sara’s voice and Gerald’s production could not be improved upon. This week I’m simply groovin’.

Now that Twitter is called X, what is a post called? Roy and Dave still like to tweet.

Listen to 𝘼𝙟𝙞 𝘼𝙟𝙞 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Spotify playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝘼𝙟𝙞 𝘼𝙟𝙞 on the 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗹𝘆’𝘀 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗿 Apple Music playlist HERE!

Listen to 𝘼𝙟𝙞 𝘼𝙟𝙞 on YouTube HERE!

Follow 𝙎𝙖𝙧𝙖 𝘽𝙖𝙮𝙖 on Instagram HERE!

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