by Kahlil Crawford
Every…work begins by a moment of ecstasy; only in the second place does the talent of arrangement, the technique of transitions, connection of ideas, construction, come into play. -Sertillanges
Soul vocalist Nao grew up in Osaka, Japan, with a love for painting and sculpting nurtured by a family of artistic creatives. When she was a girl, her sister introduced her to the soul of Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Nao later relocated to New York City to compete in the McDonald’s Gospel Festival, and placed 2nd at The Apollo Theater Amateur Night in Harlem. Upon her return to Japan, Nao signed with Sweet Soul Records.
In 2016, Nao made her major US music festival debut at the Capital Jazz Fest. In 2017, she performed on the 11th Annual Capital Jazz SuperCruise. In 2018 Nao relocated from Japan to the US to re-release her 3rd album The Truth (#32 on Billboard’s Urban Adult Contemporary chart). Nao’s most recent album, Undeniable, was released in 2019.
Upon listening to the album, it is undeniable that she is passionately committed to her craft; and it is equally undeniable that she is willing to dissect her soul, on its behalf, to concisely sculpt her destiny:
“I had to face myself, talk to my heart and ask myself who I really am and what I really want…Because I needed to know what I most desire, and what my desire wants me to do.”
The aesthetic Liberation evokes nascent neosoul trenches with improvisational keys. syncopated percussion, and a string choir (think Soul II Soul) – a mighty artillery of sound in her war on soul music mediocrity and identity crisis:
The deepness continues through the subdued rhythms of About U – her duet with frequent collaborator Eric Roberson – an emotional confessional between two distraught lovers.
So many lifetimes, lifestyles can’t put it in words
But I feel what I feel and that’s my main concern
The filtered programming of Up and Away, a contemporary R&B ballad with PHER, is a primed canvas upon which Nao self-portrays her journey toward self-actualization; and her willingness to journey as far as possible to existentially ascend.
