By Dave Howell
"The music of Liquid Blue is an exotic blend of western
pop melodies with ancient and modern eastern
sounds," says the band's website. Liquid Blue also
features three hot babes who sing and dance, named
Nikki Nova, Layla Loxa and Devonne Dawn.
Liquid Blue seems to be taking Indian pop music and making
it palatable to Westerners, the same way Gloria
Estefan took Latin music beyond its usual audiences.
Some of the CD sounds like radio pop music, but the
background music makes it more interesting than the
average DJ fare. There are tablas and emulated
strings that sound straight out of Bollywood. And
although the three women have porn star names, they
carry a tune well enough.
The CD cover reflects this unusual combination, with a
stylized mandala on the front, and a picture of the
scantily dressed "blue girls" on the back.
Another difference here is the lyrics. Rather than the usual
cliché about relationships, the songs deal with
topics unusual for pop music. For example, "Making
Up" begins: "Israel and Palestine, North and South
Korea/So many years apart why I have no idea." Not
all of them work, but it is refreshing to hear
different themes. Even "Give Me Back My Heart,"
which sounds like a love song, is a veiled slam at
the American occupation of Iraq.
A picture on the band's website shows them meeting
with Jimmy Carter, who appreciated this song about
world peace. I have to make one objection - on the
CD sleeve page that lists the lyrics, one of the
leaders pictured is Ralph Nader. Delivering the
United States to George W. Bush does not seem like a
step towards world peace. Otherwise, the song is OK.
This band has played in sixty countries since 2001. This
is really World music, appealing to people all over
the globe.
www.SouthboundBeatMagazine.com
