‘Yoza’

Yoza
(Yoza Music)

"Lauryn Hill." That’s the immediate answer to the question, "Who does Yoza sound like?"

The mono-monickered singer-songwriter steps forward as a recording artist with her self-titled debut album. Evoking memories of Hill isn’t a bad thing. The record business likes new artists who "sound like" hit makers past or present.

Yoza wrote or co-wrote all 10 songs on the album, so in terms of content she’s nobody’s wannabe or clone.

The "sound like" thing comes with the first few songs. "How Can This Be Love" sounds like something Hill certainly could have hit with, and Yoza evokes memories of the former Fugees singer in her glory days with "Please Don’t Go." The lyrics on the second tune and Yoza’s anguished delivery of them describe a last-ditch attempt to hold on to a relationship with wrenching conviction.

Other songs on the album show that Yoza has a broader repertoire. The most immediately memorable song is "Like a Lady," which praises men who are aware that a woman who doesn’t dress like a "lady" may still appreciate being treated like one. "I don’t wear dresses and I don’t like skirts/I hate high heels/They make our feet hurt/Well all that just don’t mean I don’t qualify," she sings, adding that when a man "loves me like a lady/I treat him like a man." Good advice for men of all ages.

Yoza isn’t all hip-hop and pop/R&B. For "Bringing Me Down" she dispenses with studio instrumentation and accompanies herself on acoustic guitar. She does the song twice: The first version has some percussion and keyboards in the background, the second is just Yoza and her guitar. Both versions show her strength as a contemporary pop/blues singer.

Yoza and her production team — sonic orchestrator-arranger Matt Honda, Pali Ka‘aihue and Jennifer "JRoQ" Wright — complete this gorgeously packaged album by including the lyrics. Yes, Yoza writes and sings in English, but including her lyric poetry is a nice touch.

www.yozamusic.com

"Like A Lady"