Mirah’s long-awaited fourth solo album is explores troubles and hopes.
(A)spera nuzzles its way into the music scene as Mirah’s long-awaited fourth solo album. The title is Latin for ‘hope through difficulty,’ a dynamic that is explored repeatedly in Mirah’s lyrics. Both intimate and pretty, the songs alternate in style and theme from one melody to the next, utilizing guitar, drums, horns, bongos, strings, and even the exotic harp-like mandinka kora, giving the album an alluring World feel. My favorite track, ‘Generosity,’ billows with strings and beautiful vocals, perhaps explaining to a soon-to-be ex, ‘It was all of my energy, more than I wanted to give.’ ‘The River’ is long and winding, reminiscent of one of Liz Phair’s earlier, low-key tunes. Whatever questions life has you struggling with, this album will answer in kind.
