Thana Alexa: ONA
Thana Alexa

Some albums document who an artist is at a particular moment; others are culminating statements that seem to distill entire life experience into a single artistic expression. Among the latter is ONA, a remarkably ambitious recording by vocalist and composer Thana Alexa, who, in committing herself so completely to the project, has produced one of the year's most compelling collections. It's as substantial thematically as it is musically, exploring as it does female empowerment from multiple angles. The genesis of ONA (“she” in her family's native Croatian language) can be traced to the 2017 Women's March protest in Washington, D.C., an experience that for Alexa proved life-changing. From it was directly born one of the album's most outspoken pieces, “The Resistance,” whose message is bolstered by a seething spoken word turn by poet Staceyann Chin. Yet while ONA addresses darker issues associated with injustice, it's also a celebration of womanhood, strength, and creative vitality.

It isn't her first release, that being 2015's Ode to Heroes, and collaborations have also helped Alexa establish herself, primary among them the one with her husband, drummer Antonio Sanchez, in whose band Migration she sings. But the remarkable breadth of ONA gives it the feel of a career-defining statement. Augmenting eight originals are two imaginatively chosen covers, Massive Attack's “Teardrop” and Tears For Fears' “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” the title of the latter consistent with the album's empowerment theme.

ONA offers numerous pleasures, among them Alexa's singing. Her's is a woman's voice, a husky, soulful instrument that while it can be delicate (see especially the gorgeous piano-and-vocal duet “Set Free”) isn't girlish—the sound of someone comfortable in her own skin and uninterested in fashioning herself after others. Never does her delivery sound less than heartfelt, and the full spectrum of experience is conveyed through that voice, whether she's singing lyrics or unleashing a wordless howl (e.g., the stirring solo in the title track). On vocal performance grounds alone, ONA impresses.

Her ambition extends to the compositions. Settings such as “Pachamama” and “The Resistance” progress through so many episodes they share more with a symphony movement or prog-rock opus than something rooted in a verse-chorus-verse structure. On that count, a parallel could be drawn between Alexa and Joni Mitchell, whose songs expand in similar manner on Don Juan's Reckless Daughter and The Hissing of Summer Lawns. And much like Mitchell, Alex's music defies simple categorization in its melding of jazz, pop, and World music. Helping her realize the album's vision is a stellar band, Sanchez in the drummer's chair plus bassist Matt Brewer, pianist Carmen Staaf, and guitarist Jordan Peters. In addition to the aforementioned Chin, violinist Regina Carter and vocalist Becca Stevens make memorable contributions, as do the singers joining Alexa on the title cut: Claudia Acuña, Sofia Rei, Nicole Zuraitis, Sarah Charles, and, specialists in Balkan singing, the ROSA Vocal Group.

“ONA” opens with a primal swarm of chanting voices before Alexa enters, emphatically voicing Croatian lyrics before the others reappear to turn the expression into a rallying cry. The first English words on the album (“I am woman / Roots reach into the ground”) establish thematic ground the material will explore thenceforth, with Alexa proudly asserting her claim to freedom and right to determine her body choices. That dynamic opener's equaled by “The Resistance,” which segues from its funk-groove opening into sequences by turns hypnotic and anthemic. Titled after the Incan goddess of Earth and fertility, “Pachamama” finds Alexa presenting a tender vocal side whose hush is powerful in its own way. The best thing, however, about this plea for the environment is the majestic solo delivered by revered violinist Regina Carter halfway through.

ONA is the kind of album where highlights are almost too many to mention. There's Alexa's lovely homage to her father in “You Taught Me,” where her lustrous voice is complemented by an acoustic backdrop. “Teardrop” receives a brilliant treatment that begins by blending multiple vocal parts into an intoxicating whole before turning anthemic with the addition of booming kick-drums and a searing guitar solo. As striking is the makeover given “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” which segues from a bold 9/8 treatment to a driving conclusion that aligns the cover to the soaring original. And pairing herself with Becca Stevens on the sultry folk number “He Said, She Said” as a duet partner was a masterstroke, as their voices are contrasting yet wholly complementary (Stevens also contributes charango and ukulele to the performance).

May 2020