CAITI BAKER - New Neo Soul Artist From Australia

Caiti Baker is Australia’s newest Neo Soul singer and songwriter, who on August 24th drops her debut album “Zinc,” the title having been named after the cure to her recent condition Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. It is a superb introduction to what ROUGH ONLINE anticipates will be a long lasting career for her in the industry, as she joins the list of current Alternative Urban singers like Jorja Smith and Sabrina Claudio who fuse different styles such as R&B, Slow Jam, Chillout, Jazz and even Folk together.

“Zinc” opens with a Gospel-sounding combo of an organ, almost sounding like an audio sample, played in the background behind Baker’s silky yet slightly raspy voice on Track 1 entitled “Believer,” which begins with very simple programming in the form of a single kick drum being hit on first and fourth beat of ever bar, up until Verse 2 where a full set of drums and a traditional Jazz bass section drops, leading up to an instrumental section introducing a beautiful set of piano chords, just before the singer performs slick harmonies in the second chorus that throw us back to when “Sugababe” Siobhan Donaghy went solo and delivered a similar tone that was vocally tight and spot-on, specifically on songs like “Twist Of Fate.” The middle 8 section’s overall vibe reminds us of the more depressing side of All Saints, notably on their 1998 single “War Of Nerves,” and although Baker has laid down this deep foundation to kick start her debut, the album is surprisingly brought to life with the music of “I Won’t Sleep,” and ROUGH ONLINE are in love with her cleaver use of contrast. From a Slow Jam number to a feisty, catchy, uptempo “diva” moment, vocally similar to the powerhouse tone of Christina Aguilera, which uses a similar rhythm to the famous singer’s 2007 smash hit single “Candyman,” at this point ROUGH ONLINE knew they were in for an experimental, diverse cheat of material from Baker. “I Won’t Sleep” is one of her standout songs, which delivers a heavy, thick kick in the middle 8 section, reminiscent of the powerful drums on Adele’s “Rumour Has It,” and an original, pre-recorded riff written by Baker’s father, along with all the other guitar parts used on the album, that throws us back to the Trip-Hop sounds of Tricky, specifically on tracks like “Ponderosa” from his debut album “Maxinquaye.”

Caiti Baker had obviously chosen her father’s guitar riffs, from the batch he gave to her as a gift, to use for the album very wisely, easily identified on the song “Could It Be Nerves.” It’s at this stage that we learn about how masterfully Baker’s vocal tone changes dependent on the vibe of the song, while her father plays his electric with distortion and delay, and played ambiguously as though it could possibly be a banjo. We sat back and relaxed to her Melanie Fiona-esque voice and fuzzy, space-like synths played over a mid-tempo, steady, traditional 4 by 4 beat, making it one of the more sensual moments on the album, as she seductively sings “could it be nerves making me dizzy?”

“Rough Old Town,” one of ROUGH ONLINE’s personal favourites reverts back to the tempo of “I Won’t Sleep,” but with a slightly darker approach via its’ minor chords and strumming, rhythm guitar part which appears very distant yet recognisable for its’ distinctive sound in the background, while Baker vocally takes on a Fiona Apple –style persona, because of her deep, smooth tone. Very honest lyrics such as “I love you but I don’t want this life” is sung with understated emotion, leading into an unexpected R&B Pop breakdown, middle 8 section, in which the drums are played in a 2 by 4 time signature, similar to the music of Nelly Furtado’s early career, while the bongo drums reminds us of Timbaland’s music production on Missy Elliott’s 2001 smash hit single “Get Ur Freak On.” The 3-beat per bar, Blues-style Ballad “Over The Horizon,” showcases a very alternative Urban sound for the singer and makes use of the Trumpet throwing us back to Mary J. Blige’s famous cover of Rose Royce’s 1976 “I’m Goin’ Down.” It is vocally one of Baker’s strongest tracks, with Aguilera-esque phrasing in its’ memorable chorus where she sings in her higher register.

The riff from “Thursday” brought a smile to ROUGH ONLINE’s faces as its’ opening riff uses a 90’s Chorus effect, similar to Kurt Cobain’s guitar on Nirvana’s 1992 single “Come As You Are.” And let’s not forget the enormous, heavy drums with a kick and snare that make you move your head up and down, as well as the overuse of “echo” in her voice during the second verse, an effect used in PJ Harvey’s recent music, notably on her 2013 “Shaker Aamer.” “Different” quite frankly just makes you want to dance from the second you hear Baker’s father perform one of the catchiest riffs you’ve heard this year so far, over the use of simple R&B Pop production reminiscent of Jojo’s earlier sound. We get to hear Caiti’s unique voice in its’ entirety on “A Different Outro,” a stunning acapella piece, before songs “Dreamers” and “I Got That” provides unpredictable tempos, which go from a 4 by 4 beat to a 2 by 4 beat with lots of dreamy percussion, under a fast, strumming rhythm guitar. Her well-crafted debut ends with the Slow Jam song “Wolf,” vocally reminiscent of R&B singer Tweet. Overall, it is fair to say that Caiti Baker has created a musical world of wonder, containing genre experimentation, vintage sounds via her father’s catchy riffs, and strong, well-characterised vocals dependent on the song. “Zinc” comes out on August 24th. Be the first to experience its’ intriguing ride.