Haale - No Ceiling

Genre world Publisher Channel A Music External Links Haale Website

Her sound is as mysterious as her look. Her voice is like a boa that wraps itself around you and refuses to let go. On her debut CD, No Ceiling, which will be released March 18, Haale delivers ethnic, new age sounds that are sure to hypnotize you and bring your meditation to new levels. Some of you may wonder how to pronounce her name. No, it's not "Hail" or "Hal" but "Hall-eh" as in "Halle-lujah." Haale's name means "halo around the moon" in her parents' native land of Iran. With Iranian and Persian influences coursing through her veins, as well as her music, this Bronx-born songstress weaves new age and psychedelic into an impactful and enticing full-length debut album.

Though some may think of Haale as a novice to the music industry, think again. She has released two EPs, is a veteran in the American music festival scene, and was handpicked by musical great, David Byrne, to perform in his concert series at Carnegie Hall. It is clear that Haale finds herself most at peace when she becomes one with her writing; in her first full-length album, her love and passion for music is transmitted in every syllable sung by Haale.

On No Ceiling, Haale takes you on a melodic adventure with tracks like Middle of Fire and Ay Dar Shekasteh. Meditative tracks such as these are awash with soft acoustics, a touch of the electric guitar and a soft beat of a drum as her foundation. She combines her Persian roots with the influence of popular 60s and 70s rock bands through the droning melody of the sitar in Middle of Fire. She caters to her English-speaking audience by adding a rock'n'roll edge to classic new age, but she dedicates a few songs to her Persian ancestry as well by singing in her family's native language.

Strangely enough, my favorite songs on the album were the ones performed in Persian. Whatever the literal meaning of the lyrics, I felt a deep sense of relaxation and emerged at the end of CD feeling energized and alive. Haale's debut album is teeming with the emotion she infixes in every lyric, her audience doesn't have to understand Persian to feel her passion run through their veins.

Don't be fooled by Haale's alluring almond eyes and modelesque stature, Haale is a breath of fresh air from bubble-gum pop and repetitive choruses. Deserving nothing but success, Haale offers a ticket into her extraordinary world on No Ceiling.