The Brooklyn-based Jae Soto said her new album was "a warm embrace" in advance press. That's an interesting comment to make about a record so reliant on keyboards and synths. That said, it's not wrong.
Most of Leave the Light On takes a synth-y backing track and pairs it up with Jae Soto's voice. There are flashes here of Eighties-era New Wave, and art rock, but the selections are uniformly concise and precise enough to not seem too labored. Material like "Best of Us" is simple but effective, with the chords climbing behind Jae's sonorous voice. Even better is the title cut where things drift close to dream pop thanks to Soto's marvelous vocal instrument. Elsewhere, "Honesty" and "Relax Your Mind" add traces of Eighties funk to the rhythmic backing, enough that a listener can hear the potential in Jae Soto and hope that more music is coming in the future.
Leave the Light On by Jae Soto is out now. Details below.
[Photo: Sara Laufer]