Fana Hues will take you on a much needed emotional rollercoaster with her diverse debut album Hues. From slow and sweet minimalist tracks to a powerful rap track, this RnB/soul artist does it all.
Release date: December 11, 2020 | Sweet Virtue/Bright Antenna Records | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
RnB/soul artist, Fana Hues, has just released her debut album, Hues, and it flows with emotion. Many of the tracks included on the album are shorter, resulting in a satisfying twenty-four-minute long album. Hues is pretty diverse, featuring slower intimate songs, a rap track, and a couple of songs that remind me of Corinne Bailey Rae. She really shows off her writing ability with the variety. Hues seems to like soft, intimate songs, which are featured through minimalist instrumentals for many of her songs. She likes the big, full sound the double bass has to offer and features it in multiple tracks. It complements her voice beautifully and gives a depth to her music that takes it one step further.
Hues is for anyone and everyone. This album seriously has whatever you need. Want to cry? Listen to “Desert Flower” and be moved by the intimate feel it brings. Want to dance? Throw on her jazzy tune “Yellow” or rap track “snakes x elephants”. Want to feel nostalgic? Melt along to “Death on the Vine” and the soft instrumentals that accompany Hues’ calming voice. She is able to pull at emotional strings you didn’t even know you had. Using her powerful vocals, she floats around the room until she is surrounding you with the poetic words she writes.
“If Ever” is easily my favourite track on the album. It’s slow, eerie, and hauntingly beautiful. Being one of the shorter tracks sitting at 1:27, it is short, sweet, and just catchy enough to get you hooked. Starting off with bass playing quarter notes, Hues enters shortly after singing in hushed tones. The song eventually brings in mellow harmonies and light violin, which is perfect for this track. It is intimate, pretty, and has you on the edge of your seat listening carefully to the lyrics.
I also really like “Yellow”, which has big Corinne Bailey Rae vibes. Featuring piano and double bass, it has a jazzier feel and an RnB influence. With so much vocal control, Hues is able to show off her wide range in this song. She is sultry and commanding in the verses, which contrasts her bright and fun tone in the chorus. I think it’s one of the best written songs on the album, if not the best. I like how catchy it is, how the instruments are a little more complex, and how her voice is pretty, yet in your face. It is definitely worth checking out.
Another track worth mentioning is “snakes x elephants”, which is a completely different vibe than her soft, intimate songs. Hues demonstrates her ability to effortlessly rap and write mind-blowing lyrics. I am amazed at how versatile her voice is. Going from perfectly executing peaceful lullaby to rapping about traitors, she consumes your entire mind with her forceful verses. Accompanied by a really interesting music video, this is definitely one of the stronger tracks on Hues.
In addition to “snakes x elephants”, she has videos for a couple of other tracks on her album. Each one vastly different from the others, they all do a wonderful job bringing visuals to their track and capture the vibe of the song perfectly. Her song “Desert Flower” has a stunning music video where it creates the illusion of a picture show with shadows and light. Telling the story through shadows, the video is a beautiful masterpiece. Each of her videos is diverse like her music and has something really unique that brings the song to life.
I am so thankful that I was introduced to Fana Hues through this album. She has such an incredible voice and is a really impressive songwriter. I am amazed at how much emotion she brings into her diverse song catalogue, and how seamlessly she creates an album with all of it appearing connected. Nothing seems out of place, which is hard to do with songs that are quite different from each other. I hope to see lots more from Fana Hues, specifically with the sound she has in “Yellow”. You can bet I will closely be watching out for her next release!
