Take Me Higher CD Release Party - Review by Sheryl Aronson of The Hollywood Times

Smooth Jazz Singer Aysha

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Valerie Milano

Sheryl Aronson interviewing Aysha (Photo: Akex Brown)

Is an Undeniable Talent

By Sheryl Aronson

Studio City, CA (The Hollywood Times) 5/12/15 – Aysha debuted her new CD,Take Me Higher last Friday night at Sheila E’s, The E Spot Lounge, in Vitello’s Restaurant, Studio City. The room bursted with fans waiting to hear the smooth jazz singer exhibit theundeniable talent of her engaging voice. Aysha exuded pure joy when she took the stage. Previously, she revealed to The Hollywood Times, “I didn’t think about any genre when putting this CD together. All the songs are all about my life and are positive and upbeat. I dedicated this album to my inspiration and love of my life, Dion.”

Aysha’s gently commanded the performance the entire evening with elegance. Glowing with appreciation for her good fortune after experiencing the ups and downs of a spiritual/emotional journey that she traveled down besides her boyfriend, the singer seemed fresh and sparkling with happiness. She expressed her gratitude to have completed the project of producing her CD, even though it took four and half years. Putting out a new record every four years seemed to be a pattern for this artist. “I put out my first CD in 2006 then the second, 2010 and now… four and half years later.”

The show bounced open with the crafty playing of her back up band. Then entering the room from the back, Aysha crooned her way to the stage. Springing up and down with the elasticity of youth and wailing on his saxophone was Curtis Brooks. Darrell Diaz tapped the keyboard with soulful chords while Keith Eddy plucked the bass giving Stay With Me a vibrant pulse, guitarist, David Scott guided the melody skillfully and Omari Williams sat behind the drums taxiing the band toward completion.

Aysha’s singing during the night was sultry and soulful…her original songs likeRelease Me and Up So High wrapped you in a romantic blanket of sweetness…her renditions of “Sailing” and “Let’s Get It On” were flavored with her own recipe of honeyed melodiousness. Take Me Higherannounced to the world her victory over fears as she could “reach that higher ground.” The song had a easy groove and catchy chorus. Aysha spiced the festivities with guest artists: Terry Wollman, Eric Mondragon, Tony Exum Jr II, Gene-o Cole, Damon Dae & Nils Jiptner who smoked the night with their proficient playing, jamming and singing.

Aysha’s new CD Take Me Higher is for all you out there who enjoy shutting your eyes and having that loving feeling flow over you with that special someone…or kicking back in your own quixotic imagination.

This vocalist describes herself as a Smooth R& B singer with a jazzy edge. When Aysha hits the stage, a petite, finely boned woman, she also radiates a huge fiery lust for her craft. “Music is my number one passion.” Undeniably!

For more information on Aysha’s new Cd, Take Me Higher go to : Ayshamusic.com

May 11th the digital version is released and in June the hard copy will be out.

You can also hear Aysha’s morning jazz radio program with Mickey Cohen every Saturday from 10am -12pm on www.urbansoulmedia.com

View the review online at http://thehollywoodtimes.net/2015/05/13/smooth-jazz-singer-aysha/

Take Me Higher CD Review on iTunes UK

The journey continues for Aysha...

by Rob Seddon

Aysha proves yet again that she is a musical force to be reckoned with, and following on from the release of her CDs ´Love Is A Rock´ and ´Stay With Me´, she has delivered nothing short of perfection - as always - with this, her third CD and debut for Innervision Records, ´Take Me Higher´. To me, it is not an album that can simply be slotted into the ´smooth jazz´ genre but shows that Aysha is able to step outside the box and put her own interpretation on some classics as well as bringing us fresh, vibrant new sounds. It is a bright, refreshing CD that opens with ´Up So High´, a breezy, ´feel-good´ track that features the soul-jazz trumpeting talent of Lin Rountree. The title track, Take Me Higher´, moves things on at a steady pace that has you wondering what can come next that betters it. The listener is not disappointed, with ´Send for Me´, slowing things down to a sultry slow groove before ´You´re the Only One´ brings us back with a steady jolt. This song has Aysha teaming up with Damon Dae and the influences of the likes of Michael McDonald and James Ingram on him are not lost but his voice and his style are truly his own. Aysha puts her own interpretation on ´Sailing´ and I like the jazzy feel to this with Will Donato´s soprano sax adding an extra touch of class to it. To me, it is a world apart from the lush strings in Christopher Cross´s original version but that is not a bad thing. It emphasises Aysha´s clear talent and thought to take an all-time classic song and re-craft it vocally into something new that does not do the original an injustice. ´Undeniable´ sees Aysha teaming up with Monty Seward; Will Donato´s excellent musical skill on the sax returns on ´The Right Thing´. Two-time Grammy nominated flautist Najee makes a welcome appearance on ´All I Want´. Having recorded with some of the greats, including the late Ben E. King, Chaka Khan, Will Downing and Patti Labelle, Najee´s presence on this CD shows that Aysha has the cream of the crop when it comes to musicians on this CD. ´Release Me´, the first single from the album reached Nº 7 on the UK Top 30 Soul Chart. The CD concludes with a cover of Marvin Gaye´s ´Let´s Get It On´. A point must be made about the backing vocal arrangements on the CD - they are some of the best I have heard for a long time. Backing vocals can, in my opinion, make or break a record - the ones on this CD just made it even better. As for the CD as a whole, such a mixture of new and old shows that this has been a continuance of a musical journey for Aysha, and it is hoped that the journey continues forwards and upwards, creating music that also helps the listener in their own personal journeys and experiences, whatever they may be.

View the review online at https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/take-me-higher/id994580748?i=994580751&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Posted on 6. Juli 2015 by jms

Aber bitte mit Dame. Entsprechend gutes Benehmen ist erwünscht, der gediegene Dress-Code sowieso. Dabei hält die Aysha unter der Hi-Fidelity Oberfläche die Dinge des Lebens durchaus ansprechend im Zustand des Simmerns. Und tauscht Tugend auch schon mal gegen Leidenschaft, so dass sie sich gar eine eigene Interpretation von Marvins “Let´s Get It On” Klassiker zutraut. Handfest und mit echtem R&B Finish. Doch ansonsten gibt sie die Lady im Smooth-Soul-Jazz Gewand. Gut so, vor allem immer dann, wenn ihr Team das Tempo anzieht, die Rhythmus-Basis flink agiert und die geladenen Gäste mit feinen Soli eigene Glanzpunkte setzen dürfen. Lin Rountree, Darren Rahn, Najee, Eric Darius, Will Donato und Tony Exum sind mit ihren Saxofonen und Trompete dabei, Damon Dae und Monty Seward geben die Vokal-Partner, während sich Steve Oliver, André Delano oder Donald Tavie den Platz am Produzenten-Pult teilen. In derartiger Besetzung kann selbstredend kein Ton entgleiten – so sitzt der Sound perfekt, die Stimme passt sich den Soul-Jazz Gegebenheiten kongenial an und die Songs bieten faltenfreie Unterhaltung. Sicher kein Aufbruch zu neuen Ufern, aber solides Entertainment für große Leute.

View the review online at http://www.sonicsoulreviews.com/2015/07/06/aysha-take-me-higher-innervision/

AYSHA “Take Me Higher” (Innervision)