Music Review: Angela Moyra, Fickle Island

By Melissa Bratcher

Dutch singer-songwriter Angela Moyra’s stateside debut album is bound to the ocean. A charming, sweet, throwback record, Fickle Island is full of tropical vibes and lyrical imagery, and the accompanying laid back rhythms. It’s a sometimes-delightful debut.

Angela Moyra has a lovely, pure soprano voice and the songs she’s chosen for her debut are a mix of styles that showcase that voice. There are forays into ragtime, tropicalia, pop jazz songs, and an abundance of ukulele. There is a lot of care put into the instrumentation of these songs.

Fickle Island is all a bit retro, minus the dull pop of “I Won’t Stop” and the coffeeshop background music of “Draw A Picture.” The latter wouldn’t be out of place on an episode of a Shonda Rhimes show. It’s pleasant but unchallenging. The tropical vibe of “Fickle” is warm and mid-tempo. Moyra’s enunciation is interesting, and her voice sounds a bit childlike on the track. “Bubbalu” is a delightful, ukulele-buoyed throwback with cheery piano. Her slips into falsetto are sweet and effortless. The closing track, “Your Name/My Name” is a lovely love song featuring layers of Moyra’s vocals that sound like a chorus of sirens (the sea nymph kind, not the police car/ambulance kind. That would be awful).

“Nothing Lasts” is sunny despite the subject matter. A vibraphone adds unexpected depth, down to the last ringing note. “Little Town By The Sea” is gentle and yearning, and I found myself alternately liking her voice and annoyed by her affectations. “Sand In My Mouth” is a lovely acoustic tune that would be best sung on a beach, by a fire, at night. It’s soothing and sweet.

The most captivating song, though, is “Hati Sakit.” Moyra’s voice here is haunting and captivating. “Hati Sakit” feels like a folk song, but a folk song of the sea. It’s arresting and unlike anything else on the record.

Fickle Island is a warm debut, bolstered by Angela Moyra’s interesting voice and her musical connection to the sea. Despite a couple of missteps, it’s a focused, unusual introduction (at least in the United States) to a singer with a distinctive presence. She’s a little mystical, a little jazzy, and quite good.

Fickle Island was released on October 14 and is available on Angela Moyra’s website.