Aisha J
The Game
East London native Aisha J has been releasing music since 2020, right about the time she was finishing up her studies at the Brit School. Her new EP - day in the life - doubles the amount of tracks she’s released and with this track, "The Game”, it’s clear she has a solid view of who she is as an artist. She’s got a depth to her voice and a delivery that many Soul and R&B singers never find. She’s also got a wit about her lyrics that should help her stand out (i.e. “the PS4 song”). Here’s our review of a The Game.
It’s a suspenseful start as the band begins on the four chord with nice extensions and an opening line of “I just asked for your name…” Great way to build tension and capture the listeners ear right from the start. It’s just her voice, a nice electric and B3 with just the right amount of grit over the first 8 bars with a tempo around 61 bpm. When the drums come in, love the looseness of the shuffle groove and the perfect space created with the bass line. Her vocals are balancing the line between soul and R&B, with a bit of an edge (which really comes out in the bridge). The production here is a big step up from some of her earlier tracks. Great live feel with plenty of room for the most important part - her voice and the story. Love the chord progression of the track, especially with how they start the chorus on the four - all soul and R&B needs to have an element of tension to it - and they create it perfectly here with not only the chorus chord progression, but the choice of arrangement in the bridge - which she comes back to brilliantly for the end.
Lyrically, is quite clever. It appears to cover a topic that most women go through - the unwanted attention of a man who doesn’t get it, an arrogant man who’s vision only sees the exterior, not the interior beauty. Just because a woman asks for your name, doesn’t mean it’s anything more than that. Lines like “if I loved myself more I wouldn’t know you at all” and “intentions’ important to the game” speak to this.
This is a solid track that we’d love to see live. We’re a strong believer in the idea that a good song can be played in multiple genres. This one fits that bill. It’s the type of composition and vibe that would cross over well into a big band setting, a dirty rock groove, solo, or even backed up by a string quartet. Nice job!
Make sure you scroll down to catch her socials and her other work. Absolutely love “Cool Girl” (the PS4 song), her delivery is so smooth, the lyrics are solid and the production is perfect for the vibe. Super Woman is another beautiful vibe with a great arrangement, solid lead track, and perfect BG’s. It’ll be fun to watch her career grow - we look forward to what she’ll be doing next!