We needed something a little relaxing after a long last weekend of summer. Trying to fit in all that partying into so little time might not have been a good idea. Luckily I was able to find some beautiful mellow sounds from singer/songwriter Vashti Z. Knazze.
I have to admit when I first saw her album cover for Taglit: Discovery, mixed with her name that I was not sure how to pronounce, I may have prejudged a little and expected a middle-eastern flair with an accented vocal. Not the case. After hearing some sweet, yet fun songs that reminded me of Joanna Newsom, I did some research on Vashti to discover that she is from middle America, Minnesota in fact. She has been perfecting her singing voice sing she was very young. She was well on her way when she won the Teen People Magazine singing contest at the Mall of America in 2004, at only 13 years of age.
Now as Vashti Knazze reaches adulthood at 21 years old her talent has grown and it seems only a matter of time before she breaks out. She learned guitar during this time almost instinctively and has met with some of the powerhouses of the Minnesota music scene such as Brie Larson, Tearri Mari, and members of Prince’s Revolution. Her latest album Taglit: Discovery is filled with 17 examples of her beautiful singing voice. I guess her genre would be considered neo-folk with heartfelt vocals and her acoustic guitar. This is music for a relaxing evening shared with a loved one. The best example of the quality of Vashti’s songwriting can be heard in the lead track ‘Cinderella’. With help from her family she was able to put together this fabulous animated video for the song. (below) Enjoy, I expect we will be hearing a lot more of this talented artist.