“[Lodestone] has a melody that is so heart-wrenching it feels as if it’s always existed, and it’s a wonder that it’s only now been unearthed.”
— Jon Davis, Exposé Online (full review here)
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“. . . Singer Mali’s debut solo album “Lodestone” is an exercise in musical theater, world music and avant-pop, pulling from the likes of Fiona Apple and Imogen Heap. She calls it “operatic anti-pop,” and somehow it fits. The album’s compelling use of orchestral instruments, exotic percussion and vocal synthesizers accompany Mali’s soaring soprano vocals. Think of “Lodestone” as a modern opera ruminating on the complex intersection of human nature and its murky future.”
— WBUR’s Fall Music Guide (full review here)
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” [Mali’s] disposition switch[es] from new-age songbird to woman scorned to woodland fairy to blood-thirsty werewolf to sultry lounge singer” . . .
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“Mali’s voice can shift from gorgeous and haunting at one moment to brash and sneering in the next, sometimes all within a single phrase.”
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Praise for Jaggery:
” . . . exquisite, lush music that challenges the ear as much as it captivates it. The storytelling, reflection, and contemplation are as audacious as the aesthetic that bolsters them.”
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“Jaggery audiences go silent and still like people appreciating raw, scary, beautiful wildlife.”