With an amazing string of successes with her 2006 debut, Gotee Records’ GRAMMY- nominated singer/songwriter Ayiesha Woods is poised to release her next musical installment with Love Like This, set to street late Summer 2008.
Love Like This features 11 songs produced by Chris Stevens (TobyMac, Mandisa) and Jamie Moore Along with the first single, “Love Like This" going for adds at both CHR and AC radio formats in June, Woods will be highly visible in the upcoming months. Woods is slated to perform at Creation East, Lifefest, Creation West, Life Light Festival, Music Boat Cruise 2008, Girls Get-A-Way Cruise 2008, and various other spot dates. A favorite on the Women of Faith and Revolve tour circuit last year, she will again join the cast for five dates this summer.
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Love Like This is still in need of some Refinement| Posted October 08, 2008
Give the people who decide what songs become singles for Ayiesha Woods a round of applause. The up beat and radio friendly “happy” was a great way to introduce Woods, was a brilliant way to get her name out in a good way. Throw in “big enough” with tobyMac, and you have a great start to a career, but a solid sophomore effort certainly key as well. And Love Like This unquestionably rose to the occasion.
The opening single to Wood’s latest is the title track, which is a simple song with the light pop being just enough to keep the song from becoming too slow, which sets the tone for a mostly soft adult contemporary album. If some wanted a more energetic CD with the majority of songs like “happy” Love Like This is not the place to find it since only “love can’t wait” and “fight” are the most energetic songs on the record. The foundation of the album is light pop and adult contemporary with a hint of hip hop to keep the ball rolling. The ballad “Take me there” does an effective job of remaining inspirational even with a chorus, for the most part, doesn’t follow suit and “one day” is basically adult contemporary.
“Alive” is a diverse song which mixes pop with a hint of techno with a retro style which may or may not be bad. The whole problem with Love Like This that it borders on boring, because little on the CD is spectacular and even less than that is original. Still Wood’s does have some moments on “transparent” a funky pop song where the drums play a big part; The music really plays to the lyrics of the song which is a good thing because the song is far too simple otherwise. Another daring song is “Never” which also has a retro tune and a upbeat snappy pop tune.
Six out of the eleven songs on Love Like this mention love multiple times, which would lead one to believe that it is the main topic of Wood’s album. The lyrics are not incredibly complex and they get their point over, plus with the exception of “love like this”, the lyrics steer clear of clichés. “Refine me” is a fine song that is about not settling for less with a relationship with God that is rampant in American Christianity (‘You're my God and my Father / I've accepted your Son / But my soul feels so empty now / What have I become / Lord come with Your fire / Burn my desire / Refine me’).
Songs like “fight” and “new beginning” make for a strong album lyrically but Simplicity does shows up on “Alive” and “because of you”. Love Like This is an album with good things to say that may not do enough trail blazing enough for fans who want something more complex on the music side. All in all Ayiesha Woods puts out a solid album.
SLICK BUT SLIGHTLY LESS ADVENTUROUS| Posted September 29, 2008
Part of what made Ayiesha Woods’ debut disc so alluring two years ago was her constant genre mash-ups and unpredictable vocal register. One second the supreme singer could be addressing her soulful side, then touching on jazz and oftentimes rocking out with R&B backbeats. Some of those elements permeate her second project, Love Like This, though perhaps not to as potent of degrees in favor of safer, radio-ready formulas. Though accessibility isn’t a negative trait, the singer/songwriter seems slightly watered down from the first round, though is still in fine form amidst these less adventurous explorations.
The front half of the project slickly switches between the building guitar pop of the title track, the keyboard saturated Mary J. Blige-like jam “Alive” and the neo-soul scoots of “One Day.” And as pleasant as all those tracks are, Woods seems to hold back a bit until the project’s second half, unwinding with the old-school soul slant of “Take Me There” and the joyous rock meets R&B jumper “New Beginnings.” “Fight” also evokes the acoustic soul of Woods’ mightiest influence, India.Arie, but falls slightly short of the mainstream entertainer’s charisma.
Lyrically, the collection follows dual paths of showing love in all circumstances and empowering listeners to fully realize the gifts God’s given them (making her an especially strong role model and ultimately hip presence at Women of Faith events across the country). While Love Like This falls a ladder rung short of Introducing Ayiesha Woods, there are still enough points of musical and topical connection to stick close to this fresh face, even if she left a little room for additional artistic expansion. –Andy Argyrakis
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from CMCentral.com. Click here to visit CMCentral.com today!
Ayiesha Woods' "Love Like This": A Review| Posted September 26, 2008
by C.E. Moore
I was pleasantly surprised by Ayiesha Wood’s light, breezy music. Having not heard her pervious studio “Introducing Ayiesha Woods,” I must admit that I expected a totally different sound from someone on Gotee Records. But, her album “Love Like This” blew all my expectations out of the water. A feel-good project permeated by themes of love and relationships—both temporal and eternal—this is one for the collection. Vascillating between neo-soul, jazz, and pop, “Love Like This” provides the listener with a unique listening experience to be sure.
Title track “Love Like This” starts things out on a whimsical, breathy note. Woods’ vocal shine through like the morning sun as they bounce over the instruments. Actually, it seems as if Woods and the musicians that back her are quite comfortable with each other, complimenting each other almost flawlessly. “Alive” is one of my favorite track on the album and is basically a song of adoration to God for sending a love that is alive. “Never” definitely strays into Out of Eden territory and in a fun, poppy way speaks about unrelenting love. “Take Me There” slows things down and is much more contemplative than most tracks on the album. The real gem on the album, though, is Woods’ cover of label mate Jennifer Knapp’s “Refine Me.” When Knapp originally did the song it was more of a stripped-down acoustic piece. Woods has added a more symphonic feel to the number and made the song all her own. It is a rich experience.
The flaw that some may have is the upbeat nature of the music. It is definitely music for the Christian radio crowd. She sticks pretty much to the surface of things, skirting such topics as the pain and suffering that invades the lives of Christ’s followers. So, it’s not going to appeal to everyone. Normally, it wouldn’t even appeal to me, but Woods is impressive in how she carries herself and works within her genre of choice.
On the whole, I like “Love Like This.” Woods’ vocal performance is strong and diverse without losing the listener. The production side of things is also particularly brilliant. It is the quality listeners have come to expect from Gotee Records and the trend continues. Again, the sound isn’t for everyone, but it those who appreciate the genre will definitely appreciate the album.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today!
Love, Love, Love: The Central Theme| Posted September 02, 2008
Ayiesha Woods's debut came in 2006 with little media attention, despite its breakout single, "Happy," and Woods's involvement with the heavily popular Revolve tour. And it left a small impression on me, although there was plenty of room for improvement. "Love Like This" is Ayiesha at her finest, not only a step up from her debut, but several.
"Love Like This" explores a very broad range of styles, and nearly every track sounds like a different genre completely, much like Mandisa's "True Beauty" album. Ayiesha stays true to her R&B style, but mixes it with many different sounds. These include: acoustic-based R&B (One Day), techno-meets-R&B (Alive), worship (Love Like This, Refine Me, Because Of Your Love), pop-rock (Fight, Never, Love Can't Wait). But the most unique songs would have to be the retro-Motown "New Beginnings," the jazz-meets-R&B "You Take Me There," and the almost Hawaiian-tinged "Transparent." There is little to complain about musically, and her voice is smooth and amazing, and breezes through the songs. But if there's anything worth complaining about, it would be the lyrics. Especially in the worshipful songs like the title track and "Because Of Your Love," the lyrics tend to get cliched and repetitive...nothing you havent heard before on your Tomlin record.
Personal Highlights: Your Love Is Alive, One Day, Love Can't Wait. Refine Me.
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