Siena Root – The Secret of Our Time
Release Date: March 20, 2020
Siena Root has returned and graced us all with The Secret of Our Time. The Secret of Our Time is Siena Root’s latest offering that comes three years after the stellar 2017’s A Dream of Lasting Peace. Good things come to those who wait but in this case, fucking amazing things come to those who wait.
“Final Stand” kicks the album off and honestly I was quite taken back and surprised. Instead of the kind of earthy, heady music that I have come to expect from Siena Root, “Final Stand” is pretty much a straight-up classic ‘70s inspired hard rock song which shows the band’s ability to stretch out beyond my expectations and do it extremely well. Lead vocalist Zubaid Solid owns it on this song and drives the song and the band with energy and passion.
The Deep Purple influence of “Siren Song” has an infectious groove that will have you nodding your head and doing the “white boy overbite” right away. This song once again showcases new vocalist Zubaida Solid. Solid is the absolute perfect voice for Siena Root. Able to combine the character of Siena Root’s former male vocalists as well as the much loved Sanya, Solid is able to push through the limitations of singing in one particular style. Solid seems to be able to take the wheel of this musical magic bus and steer is just fine.
“Organic Intelligence” is such a stellar song and I love the fact that this is a duet featuring Zubaida Solid and 2nd lead vocalist Lisa Lystam. Solid and Lystam sound as if they are challenging each other verse by verse like a slam competition only to come together in harmony that hit me hard and had me rooting for both of them.
On “Daughter of the Mountains,” Lystam takes the lead vocal and delivers what I feel is her best performance on the album. She sounds so connected to the song and it resonated with me, drew me in, and had me completely engaged.
Between Lystam and Solid, I am definitely partial to Solid’s vocals. She has such a dynamic range and I love how she is able to change from a lower, smooth lower register right into a soulful, gritty, take no shit upper register. Don’t get me wrong, Lystam is an absolutely stellar vocalist and I’m a huge fan of her other band Heavy Feather but it’s Solid that gets the MVP award without a doubt.
In my opinion, The Secret of Our Time is Siena Root’s best work to date. From the mellow, cosmic vibe to hard rock, Siena Root has delivered an absolutely amazing album. The Secret of Our Time is chockfull of great songs and there is not a bad song in the bunch. It’s not just a testament of growth for Siena Root but proof that this band has no shortage of ideas. While they may be a forward-thinking band, Siena Root definite lives in the moment and at this moment, The Secret of Our Time is an amazing place to be. I won’t mind if they stay here for a good while.
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