Sally Sa, the singer/songwriter from the East Coast of Australia, has followed up on her recent singles ‘Mama‘ and ‘Hourglass‘ to announce her debut album Speaking My Mind.
Sa takes to the Alley Bar, Cooloongatta on 29 November to bring her new album to life, drawing inspiration from influences such as Amy Winehouse, Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu.
As the title suggests, Sally playfully reflects her thoughts through an enticing blend of jazz, roots and Hip Hop with a flavour of Neo Soul. The album examines one’s ability to go from feeling timid in one moment to beaming with a sense of conviction in the next. With a rich array of musical flavours, Sa’s music cannot be captured within a genre, rather this urban purist thrives on being a Mistress of Soul and preacher of hip hop.
About the title track, Sally explains that “we’re all built up to have strong opinions, mindsets & driven ambition. What if we left it all to chance, what if we re-wrote our life as we see ourselves! Someone once said to me when I moved away to do mission work that it was an opportunity to become the me I always thought I was”. Seemingly, Sally feels most herself on stage, with majority of songs on the new album flowing from a spark of spontaneity while performing.
Recording Speaking My Mind was a drawn out process, taking 18 months amidst a number of ups-and-downs in Sally’s personal life. Notably, Sally had a surgery only three days prior to recording, where vocal chord damage had been caused due to a tube down her throat. In typical Sa fashion, this new husky version of her voice was used to advantage.
A brilliant example of what to expect from the album can be seen through the track ‘Hip Hop Lover!’ Sally explains that “I wanted to write an ironic song about hip hop, but not a hip hop song-written purely in the influence of jazz. Even Glenn Bloomfield (who plays most instruments on the album) didn’t know what I was doing in the studio. I said ‘play me something jazzy’, what he came up with was this magical music that I fell so in love with!”
Gold Coast musical identity Benny D Williams produced the album, with Sally stating “I’m so happy for the musical playground he provided for us in the studio.” Guest artists also include Jordy Holden on Sax in ‘Mama’ & ‘Hey Everybody‘, and Benny DWilliams in slide guitar & hi hats in ‘No Drum‘.
After 15 years of developing her talent, playing shows around the country and playing for non-for-profit groups, Sally Sa is back to pave her own path, and send shivers down your spine with her debut album Speaking My Mind.
Speaking My Mind is out 29 November
ALBUM LAUNCH
Friday 29 November | Alley Bar | Cooloongatta, QLD