"Lips" by Noah Seleno

One of those artists whose work I have long desired to review is Noah Seleno and now with her single "Lips", that ambition is realised (though I should point out that she has appeared in the meantime both in the magazine and on "Hot Music Live Presents" as part of the sadly defunct Evergreen).

I've hinted over the years in this magazine as to how special her talents are. My earliest live review was over three years ago contained such observations as "she is a compelling & charismatic presence..she has an excellent vocal range but the contralto end is special & what will probably get most mentions, as does her interesting delivery style & way of interpreting songs. However I think it is really important not to understate what a great writer she is too…..They certainly are very strong songs, highly idiosyncratic & occasionally a bit strange, albeit clearly within the bounds of classic songwriting……Whatever her personal influences & inspirations are, she has channelled them into something entirely her own."

Every single element of this is at last captured on record for all to hear, with an extra three years of developing her craft still further.

With Noah and her songs, you often get the impression that you have intruded into her dreams and while that can be a bit disconcerting (it feels quite intrusive), it gives you an experience which few if any other musicians can provide.

Part of this is the music: Noah tends to the hypnotic in her approach which draws you completely into her songs: the unusual range and timbre of her voice, as noted in 2019, adds to this effect as well as being totally impossible to mistake for any other singer around.

The other part is the lyrics: sounding somewhere between trying to articulate thoughts & channelling a stream of (sub) consciousness, you get a swirl of imagery & philosophising which again has no precedent I can immediately bring to mind.

Consequently, there you find yourself in Noah's world (and you suspect her head) and feeling very privileged to be invited & led in: there are no obvious scandalous revelations, but the intimacy of the thoughts expressed in many ways are deeper & more personal than mere acts.

Noah Seleno is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of our area's most unique artists and if I personally have had to wait longer than I'd have wished for "Lips" then the wait was worth it and in any case reflects the nature of the woman & the artist: this is her natural pace & she is entitled to it.

"Lips" is spellbinding, exquisite and offers that emotional truth which I so respect & seek in large quantities. Quite where her career will go from here is anyone's guess, but if success depended on originality & on quality of talent then Noah Seleno should go a lot further than many homogenous genre-confined artist who are so beloved by the commercial mainstream. She's the real deal.