Aisha Badru is an alchemist. She distills human experience with all its chaos and craziness into simple human truths as she paves a pathway to introspection. On The Sun Still Rises, only her second full-length album, she looks upon her music as a form of medicine, one that soothes the emotions, serving as a salve to the madness of this modern age. She finds a sense of calm in her music and lyrics finding ways to create the stillness that harmonises the quandaries existing today.
In a world where achievement is considered the goal, ‘Boundaries’ offers an alternative view. Simple sounds of guitars soothe with a snare drum providing a slow pulse. The song slows the breathing and calms the soul, qualities in short supply. Badru acknowledges, the song “is an alternative to the workaholic, always available, ultra-productive archetype/mindset that is so prevalent today, especially in the age of social media. Sometimes stillness and rest is the best course of action to move forward.”
As the world hurtles from crisis to crisis, ‘Life to Live’ offers another option, one that peers beyond the uncertainty. More than merely a way out of the madness, the acoustic guitar teams with piano, bass and drums, offering another alternative, one recapturing the beauty available, the calmness of a soul recentred on simple gifts that are still within reach regardless of social condition, a way to embrace the journey of self-discovery. “It’s your life to live/ If you want to leave then go/ Run off the beaten path/ smell every single rose.”
Badru, a Nigerian American living in Florida, seems to have the antidote to the slightly deranged modern American life. It stems from finding the antidote to the bruised and broken hearted through self-care. The secret lives in following your dreams, being true to the notions of your heart and letting go of anything that stands in the way of living the life that works for you.
Harbouring the calmness that the heart craves, Badru creates a way out of the bruises and broken hearts. Musically ‘Finding Our Way’ offers competing options with bass and softly picked guitar giving way to pulsing drums that seem to transcend the calm, yet the song refuses to waver or give in to that notion as we continue to find our way.
Finding ‘The Calm (664Hz)’ suggests that still the soul will provide a way out of the chaos. From its slow keyboard realm single chords and notes of piano restore the balance before entering into a melody provide the tranquility to close the album. The comfort that Aisha Badru provides on The Sun Still Rises goes a long way, restoring the balance that slows the fears and provides serenity, offering a way forward.
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