Yolanda Arrey Unleashes a Powerful and Inspirational Beast
Don’t tell her I said so, but Yolanda Arrey may be a little too classy for this joint. Originally from Cameroon, she is a soulful Blues, Pop and R&B artist based in California. And man, the lady can sing!
Arrey debuted in 2016 with her album “The Bayou.” The record did well and opened up a lot of opportunities for the aspiring artist, like a headline show at the historic Capital Theatre in Salt Lake City. The awards followed, including Best Cinematography for “My Heaven” at the Utah Music Awards. Then she became the first independent artist to perform at the world famous Deer Valley Festival in Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. She has done all of this without the backing of a major label.
“Beast” is Yolanda Arrey’s brand new single. Lyrically the song is about finding strength in our dark sides to unleash our greatest potential. It explores the idea of embracing our whole selves, even the parts we find a little scary, to be our best. It is a beautiful message, made even more so by the soul-shaking power of Arrey’s remarkable voice.
The track opens with an Enya-worthy experimental vocal harmony intro. And then the big fat acoustic kick drum beat drops. The song’s pounding rhythm drives forward a cool instrumental mix of bass, keys and guitar. However, the shining star at the heart of the track is Yolanda’s voice. From her soulful and commanding lead vocal, to the syncopated and harmonized backing tracks that fill the mix, the power of the song is inextricably linked to the singer singing it.
Yolanda counts artists from Adele to the Temptations as her inspiration. I hear a little bit of Tina Turner in her voice as well. Michael Jackson has influenced her sound, as well as her new single’s video. The film is an intentional homage to Jackson’s masterpiece, “Thriller.” In it, we find Arrey dancing in Hell with a troupe of synchronized demons. For her part, the singer portrays a beautiful black-winged fallen angel. The juxtaposition of the video’s dark imagery against the song’s inspirational tone is captivating.
