Zinadelphia

One Liner: Winehouse-y throwback belting that gets too much for me
Wikipedia Genre: No Wikipedia, throwback soul pop belting
Home: Philadelphia

Poster Position: Bottom Quarter - Line 23
Day: Sunday
Weekend One Only.

BMI Stage at 5:15.

Thoughts:  Kind of a fun band name.  I wonder if they make good wine in Philly?  Other than like, bathtub wine or meth wine or whatever.  Here is what I will say - first few songs, I was kind of feeling this like a lesser Amy Winehouse sort of thing.  After a few more, the brassy vocal fry sort of thing she is doing started to get on my nerves.  Remember when Fergie sang the National Anthem and smeared her vocal power all over the world's ears like so much monkey poo?  That is what I am feeling now.  Which is terribly rude, and I'm sorry to have said it, but I aim for truth here.

I am guessing her real name is Zina, and that she is from Philadelphia.  She apparently went to Temple University, studying photography and then journalism and finally media studies and production.  She was involved in the music scene by running a venue and then started making music too.  Okay, wait, I just made it to "Advice from Ray" and it is more of a slow burn tune where she isn't grating on me.  Oh no, wait, and then she started wailing like Joplin.

No albums, just two EPs - 2023's Lucky and 2024's The Magazine.  Top track is a single from 2023 called "Love Language."  8.1 million streams.

Catchy for sure.  I definitely prefer when she is understated and not trying to push her voice to its limits.  She does a version of "I Will Survive" that starts off really slow and vampy and treacly and it makes me want to crawl out of my skin.  I honestly just took my hands off of the keyboard to shake them like I was getting something gross from them and involuntarily said "ick."  I hate being rude about people coming to the Fest, but this needs to be over for my own sanity.  The top song from the new EP is "Love Over Glory," with 3.6 million streams.

The first portion, as it builds up, is appealing.  I love those horns.  And then the funk rolls in to back it up, and it sounds great.  But as she gets cranked up, I start to push back from the speakers a little.  I can see a world where this is great - strong voice with throwback soul pop stuff could really hit it out of the park.  But as is, this is a no from me.