Roxxa Nova: “Soothe Me” – an ambiance of chilled elegance

Currently based in Aruba, singer and songwriter Roxxa Nova grew up in Holland with a mixed population of cultures from Curacao, Suriname, Turkey, Sint Maarten, and different countries of Africa. She says this inspired her to listen to all kinds of music and broaden her way of thinking. In Aruba, Roxxa launched herself as a performer in concerts, hotels, and corporate events. The positive feedback encouraged her to bring her original music to the island and the world at large. Fortunately she is not alone in her plight and is supported by a group of passionate musicians, including her manager, producer, and drummer Jeremy Bonarriba, guitarist Mario Chow, bassist Sergio Silva, and keyboardist Hubert Thiel. Roxxa Nova’s debut release is the reggae influenced track, entitled “Soothe Me”.

Music this tasteful, soothing and even-keeled can be hard to come by nowadays, when the radio is chock full of impossibly loud and noisy dittos. A provocative thread of mystery pervades “Soothe Me” as Nova’s smoky vocals and the band’s jazzy reggae groove light up the airwaves.

She sings of discovering love – “Reveal your love to me. Take me to another place. Wrap me up in your warm embrace. Soothe me…smoothly.” Nova delivers gracefully, demonstrating her soulful nuanced vocal chops.

The instruments serve her voice exquisitely, as the musicianship and the band’s uncanny ability to set a mood create an ambiance of chilled elegance. It’s easy to overlook a track like “Soothe Me” because it’s so mellow and understated, but in the minimalism lies its sheer beauty.

Indeed, the music, as well as the lyrics, feels honest and deep. Together they form equal parts of luscious and languorous, glimmering with the warmth of the afterglow. With this track, Nova firmly dips her toe into the pool of contemporary pop charm. And the water is pretty spectacular.

Roxxa Nova’s voice does much of the work here — she has a distinct coolness to her timbre, a penchant for elongating her vowels and an accented inflection, exuding indelible impressions with its beautifully melodic hooks.

Nova’s serene yet chic vocals beguile the listener into a suspended state of nirvana, much like Sade’s entrancing ’90s output. The relaxed vibes which skew towards the smooth reggae soundscape are effortless in its design, and its understated nature results in a bold artistic statement for Nova.

An independent artist, Roxxa Nova is in the enviable position of being able to make music on its own terms. This allows her artistic output to benefit from a divine sense of intimacy. Instead of volume and noise she delivers varying equations of hushed intensity and powerful quiet.

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