Richardine Bartee
Back in March, Miriam Waks, an independent singer-songwriter from New York, released her latest album ‘Tales from a Room’. According to the artist, it is her first time she’s “presented a collection of original songs” under her name, calling it a “transition from song-interpreter to songwriter.” Each song tells a story of some kind. The opening track ‘Back to the Jungle’ is a homage to artists who live in New York City. Literature inspired a few of the songs like ‘This Room’ (‘A Room of One’s Own’, an extended essay by Virginia Woolf published in 1929) and ‘Songs for Achilles’ (based on Madeleine Miller’s version).
Whenever someone of my age hears music like Waks, it is often associate it with cartoons or other children’s programming on stations like PBS. That isn’t to say that her music is childlike. It’s just an observation. The flow of songs that the musician put together is enjoyable. Notably, the beginning of ‘Undeserving Girl’ reminded me of ‘You Sexy Thing’ performed by the British group Hot Chocolate.
Miriam Waks has been singing since she made her debut at the Sydney Opera House at the age of ten. Today, she sings in seventeen languages and has an extensive performance résumé. Listen to the eleven-track LP below.
