Kiki Love - 'Love's an Illusion"

Canadian born artist, Kiki Love (aka Catherine Sarah Manna) is a contemporary, multi-ward winning indie artist who incorporates R &B, Soul, Jazz, Pop and Blues into her spell-binding music. Kiki attended the Royal Conservatory of Music and studied piano at a young age. She has won over 30 awards and has been nominated for approximately a 100 awards! Most recently, Kiki was a Global Music Award Bronze Medal recipient for her song “Without You.” She is also an IMC Song of the Year recipient for her song “Your Beautiful“ and winner of the IMC Artist of the Year. Her single, “Loves an Illusion,” off her album “illusion,’ is a great introduction to Kiki’s natural talent and beautiful songwriting.

“Love’s an Illusion” opens with some jazzy keys as Kiki speaks softly over the track, “Sometimes you just have to take a step back in your life and look ahead.” She says that we all have good and bad times, but emphasizes the good times which cements the positive energy of the song. During this entrancing intro, Kiki also adds some vocalizes singing melismatic “ooo’s," introducing listeners to her pure tone. In “Love’s an Illusion,” Kiki has a wide range of vocal control; she soars to the higher notes, gracefully, holding them as if they are as light as a feather, hanging in the air, clear as a bell, and then she sings down in her lower range with the same ease offering a rich and resonating tone. Kiki makes sophisticated singing sound easy which invites listeners to just sit back, relax and enjoy the musical experience.

Light percussion soon kicks in and the first verse commences. Horns and bass are added to the mix. Throughout the song, the horns play nice melodic solos often trading off melodies with the keys. The production and mix are strong as Kiki’s voice is easily heard over the track. Kiki also adds some interesting and tasteful vocal harmonies to the chorus. The musical vibe is smooth; the song radiates good vibes and even if love is an illusion, as the song suggests, - it feels good. As the full arrangement is complete, there is a nice groove that feels mesmerizing; it is a groove you can kick back to. The main chorus is very memorable, "Once you find, the Apple of you eye. Nothing can take it away from you. Once you find that apple of you eye, nothing can escape it. Takes you where you thought you’d never be. Love is like, Love is like an illusin." On the very last phrase of the song, Kiki sings the word “illusion,” without any instrumentation, and she sounds amazing, crystal clear and almost haunting.”

For your enjoyment, here is another song performed by Kiki, "No Love on a Summer Day."

Kiki Love is a very original artist who offers entrancing, mesmerizing and contemporary music that isn't an illusion - it's real and it's very enjoyable. For more information on Kiki, please visit her website.

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