Corinne Gibbons’ latest album, ‘Melt’, sets out to do just that.

The established artist, whose 2002 release, ’Dusk’, peaked at #2 on Australia’s Independent Jazz Charts, launched her album in Singapore yesterday at Golden Village Vivocity. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, performed four songs, ’Speak of the North’, ‘Switch Off’, ‘Precious Girl’ and ‘Rise’.

It was a relaxed affair. She started her performances smiling, and continued to do so throughout. Her voice, a soothing jazz lilt reminiscent of Colbie Callait, was amazingly steady, and gave the audience a feeling of comfort as they watched music videos comprised of clips featuring arctic wildlife by the Lindblad Expedition (National Geographic), with whom Corinne collaborated for the DVD version of Melt.

Overall, Melt is a refreshingly unprocessed album, full of meaningful lyrics that, when partnered with Corinne’s heartfelt singing, bring forth an emotional resonance. Teamed with the DVD’s complementary footage, the combination is a thought-provoking, sentimental moment reaching between the listener and herself.

The standout track on the whole is ’Precious Girl’, which, according to Corinne, is a letter to her sister, whose passing away affected her greatly.

I feel tender for the world that has suffered for your loss/ I am I am I am / I am touched by gentle inspiration/ And I confess to appreciate the smallest things, she sings, accompanied by footage of girls and women, sisters and mothers, from all over the world.

But it is not just personal sentimentalities that fill Melt.

One of the reasons the album has been named so, after all, is “because the world is melting,” according to Corinne.

With the song ‘One Voice’, ‘Animals die and the forests are weeping/ children are starving/ nations are bleeding/ do you wanna wait/ don’t hesitate’, Corinne reaches out with a plea to stop the world from going down the slippery slope of self-destruction, starting to change the world by changing oneself.

All in all, Melt is a peek into Corinne Gibbon’s life. “I followed my instinct and intuition rather than having a preconception of what kind of album is would be,” she says. According to her, there’s no set genre for Melt, and as such, if you’re looking for something banal and predictable, this is not the album for you.

However, if you’re looking for something to relax to, appreciate meaningful lyrics and that precious connection with the artiste that seems to hard to come around these days, do give Melt a try. It’s available at Gramophone and HMV, as well as iTunes, Amazon, Rhapsody and the official Corinne Gibbons website.

Or, if you feel like hearing her sing live for yourself (it’s quite the experience), Corinne will hold three Melt performances at the DBS Arts Centre, from Jun 11-13. Starting May 8, tickets will be available at all SISTIC outlets.

Tracklist
1. Speak of the North
2. Silver Flame
3. Switch Off
4. Precious Girl
5. One Voice
6. Life Goes
7. Good Days
8. Silty Wine
9. Rise
10. Melt

Rating
UrbanWire gives Melt 3.8 Stars.
★★★.8

Extras

Corinne Gibbons singing ‘Rise’

Corinne Gibbons ‘Switch Off’ performance

Corinne Gibbons on Asia Uncut