Leila Adu “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker” review by John M Ellison IV

When talking about music and the name Leila Adu comes up, the word “conventional” does not belong in the same conversation let alone sentence.

Like Adu’s previous album, “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker” this is stripped down to piano, organ, keyboard, vocals and on some songs, drums. Also, unlike “Dark Joan” which was produced by Steve Albini, “Ode to the Unknown Factory Worker” Leila Adu takes over the helm as producer.
To describe Leila Adu’s music, I wouldn’t describe them as songs. In this case, I would call Leila Adu’s songs “audio murals.” Kind of like how Frank Zappa called his guitar solos “air sculptures.” Well, here are a few of my favorite selections from her “exhibition.”

Brazen Hussy

A jazzy tune that’s title is self-explanatory. Even though it’s called Brazen Hussy, there’s nothing sleazy about the song but it’s very playful though. I also enjoyed the slip into the Latin vibe at 3:22 to 3:56

Trojan Cow

The slight dissonance brings an unsettling tension that compliments the imagery of some of the lyrics. It also switches into something that kind of goes into a “cha cha” rhythm. Also the title stuck out to me.

One Minute Pastry Song

Well, this is a one minute waltz that sounds like something you would hear in a French black and white film.

Slick Department Store

This is a song about pretty much a bad day at the mall that only Leila Adu can make sound special. If anybody else did a song like this, it would be trivial. But Leila makes it sound great.

Cigarettes & Circus Puffs

Surprisingly, this might be the only song that has anything remotely conventional sounding on the entire album.

In closing, if you’re in a singer/songwriter mood that lives up the labels of “unclassifiable” and “eclectic” this is definitely the album you want to hear.