Neah Lee's 12 original songs on sophomore project "Without Wax" testify to her ingenuity and her heart. But its her delivery that puts her over the top. Brokenforgood Records is an independent label overseen by indie artist Koo Chung. Together Lee and co-producer Chung made room on "Wax" for a wide range of styles and expression, and Lee is up to them all. She can go gentle, rock a la Sheryl Crow, jam some blues out or swing into jazz. Hey, she comes out of the gate scatting on jazz-tinged opener "Home." Like I said, she does it all. And she does it all well, her strong vocals burning her way through the songlist.
There's not a clunker on the project, but some standouts include the aforementioned "Home," the lively feel-good rocker "If Only," with its popping bass line, and bluesy rocker "Undone." The latter has a raw jam feel with graceful violin and keyboard flourishes. The gently melodic "Beautiful Surprise" highlights Lee's stunning vocal range. She makes her way through this and every tune like a locomotive, bearing down strong on its target. The worshipful "Ezekiel" eloquently pleads for connection, piano chords pounding out her sincerity. Expressing her deep passion fittingly is the longest track, "A Call to Live," a string-rich pop challenge emotionally delivered. I'm slightly less sure about the several time changes of closer "Today" but I love her for experimenting.
Neah Lee's vocals ring with the clarity of a high beam, bearing the same intensity and power. She is strong vocally, instrumentally, and spiritually, and listening to "Without Wax" can only do you good. I understand that she is departing slightly from her current style on her next project. I wait with baited breath. Even though that sounds very unattractive.
