Stumbled upon on one of those random trips down the yellow brick road that is the Internet was this album, “Huellas”, by Lily Dahab. What can I say here? The Gods were smiling upon me? Perhaps they were for Lily Dahab turned out to be something special.
Immensely polite in her delivery, Ms Dahab seems, initially at least, more smooth jazz than a purveyor of passion but that is what this lady actually is and, despite her tendency towards understatement, it is hard to deny the heart and soul with which she infuses each and every song on this album. Not for her the nuclear emotion of, say, Giovanna Facchinelli for such a dramatic presentation would be a country mile out of character. Ms Dahab is, in that respect, perhaps more comparable to Paula Toller (no bad thing in my book) but Lily Dahab’s heart, however, remains resolutely worn on her sleeve even if she does not draw undue attention to that fact.
Ably supported by musicians of both eloquence and sensitivity – Bene Aperdannier on piano sounds more like a soul mate than an accompanist – “Huellas” is one of the easiest albums to listen to that you will likely encounter and yet there is so much more to be gained from absorbing all that is presented to you. “Yo Soy Maria”, for example, shows off Ms Dahab’s immaculate phrasing whilst simultaneously evoking the heat of the Argentinian night. You might think her too mannered, too civilised if you merely acknowledge the presence of a song like this. That, however, would be to miss the important part for that Latin passion simmers just below the surface and that very underlying passion is what casts an enchantment upon a man’s heart.
Lily Dahab makes it all seem so easy here. That alone makes her one to watch and her album one to treasure.