Singaporean singer Aliff Aziz, who’s known for his lighter, uptempo pop tunes such as Jangan Ganggu Pacarku and Sayang Sayang, slows things down with the ballad-driven Rebirth.
Aliff pleads with his lover not to leave him in the emotionally-charged Setelah Kau Pergi. But it’s on the heartfelt Coba that the most outstanding moment of the album arrives.
The song, about becoming a better person for those we love, works because Aliff’s earnestness and sincerity comes through, besides of course, having a solid melody.
These ballads not only prove the singer’s ability to deliver songs with greater emotional depth, they allows us to hear a side of Aliff’s vocals we’ve never heard before.
Dengarkan Aku, for instance, is a vocal showcase, with his voice’s smoky quality and wide range taking centre stage.
But for those longing for more of Aliff’s lighter fare, there’s a bit of that in the laidback Pujangga, which sees Aliff encouraging his love interest to stop fighting the attraction they feel for each other.
For the most part, the 25-year-old Aliff, who got engaged to Bella Astillah last December, heads into a more pensive and mature direction in his fourth studio release.
Aliff Aziz
Rebirth
(Sony Music)