“Strange Delights” kicks off the proceedings nicely, the elegant piano work lending an air of melancholy as Hunter lays her haunting, enigmatic vocals over it. And yet, the unlikely blend works beautifully polished art-pop arrangements are adorned with the same mystical, dreamlike atmosphere I alluded to earlier, creating an experience that’s equal parts catchy and mesmerizing. Lovegaze is an ornate, layered affair that combines the relaxing ambience of new age with the tight songwriting of pop music, creating a strange juxtaposition of sorts.

After two promising EPs, this is her chance to stretch her wings and make a real full-length statement – and judging by the results, it’s safe to say she succeeded. When you hear Hunter’s debut LP Lovegaze, it becomes clear just how much of that passion, practice, and dedication were poured into her music. Needless to say, it’s pretty clear that the harp was her true calling. According to her Bandcamp page, the instrument evoked “fantasy, psychedelia, and dream worlds” she would subsequently practice six hours a day to perfect her craft, a feat that must have required an ungodly amount of discipline to maintain. Hunter had already been playing the drums and guitar during her upbringing in the church, but it wasn’t until her first harp lesson at the California Institute of the Arts that everything fell into place. But in the case of new age songstress Nailah Hunter, that moment didn’t arrive so early on. That eureka moment that ignites (or otherwise reignites) your passion for the instrument.

Why do I bring this up? Well, there usually seems to be that one time in which everything just clicks. It wasn’t until much later that I gained a true appreciation for the craft and really started feeling what I was playing. Granted, I was only six years old, but it all felt more like an obligation than a real passion. Review Summary: We could all use a little more harp in our lives.įor those of you who play an instrument, how was your first experience with it? What emotions were associated with hitting your first piano keys, or strumming your first guitar chord? Well, as someone who’s been playing the piano for a long time, I’ll let you in on a little secret: I didn’t feel anything when I started taking lessons.

Just the two of us chords guitar