"Be who you say you are/let your actions speak for you/not your mouth/no not your mouth/'cause I believe your actions before your words..." Sorry, Charlie from My Own Skin
Don't let the package fool you. Despite her waif-like appearance, Zaba Grace is not a Disney band-in-a-box replica spewing lyrical teen angst. The music is real, and sometimes raw, and rather than plucking a few heart strings, it rips the organ out whole.
At times an adult lamentation and others a discarnate reverie, the debut album My Own Skin runs the gamut of human emotion. From the plaintive cries of hold me, hold me, hold me/let me cry, let me be how I need to be in How I Feel to the in-your-face indignation of god to the hopeful strains of Free, My Own Skin delivers a musical tapestry of what it means to be mortal, and resonates across genre boundaries.
The album is dedicated to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. Please note the word survivor. In a society where victimization is the cause du jour, Zaba Grace emerges triumphant as a survivor, the proverbial phoenix from the ashes. May her flight be long and successful! (Catch Zaba Grace at her debut performance in the Upstate at the Battle of the Bands Sunday, January 10, at The Gathering Place in downtown Greenville, SC. Contact the venue for ticket information.)
-MSG
