MUSIC: Sandra St. Victor Gives Us A Gift In “Oya’s Daughter”

Sandra St. Victor is a soul goddess. If you’ve never heard of her you’ll be amazed at what you’ll find in her music wardrobe. You may know her best from critically acclaimed group The Family Stand, “Ghetto Heaven” is still one of my favorites. She has worked with and been given props by the greats such as Curtis Mayfield, Roy Ayers, Chaka Khan, not to mention her songs have been recorded by Prince and Tina Turner. On her latest solo album, St. Victor’s mastery of soul, funk and jazz are no surprise. Additionally, soulful musician and DJ Mark de Clive-Lowe laid his producer hands on “Oya’s Daughter”, with contributing musicians Freddie Washington (Patrice Rushen), Abe Fogel (India Arie/Joe), Marcus Machado and more.

After being teased by the recent pre-release buzz tracks “I Prefer,” “Presence” and video single “Coming Around,” here’s what you can expect from her 14-track release. St. Victor has a funky good time on “Fate’s Laugh,” where even her laugh has melody. She keeps the soulful party going with “Grateful” an uplifting song that makes you want to sing along. The percussions on “Stuff Mama Used to Say” are reminiscent of an Afro-Cuban shindig you’ve always wanted an invitation to. If you need time to catch your breath listen to “Eternal” and get lost in St. Victor’s vocals. The singer shares some spoken word with us on her social commentary track “Sugarfoot Is Dead.” We’re only at the middle of the album now and there really is no turning back, and certainly no reason to. When you keep going, you’ll find that “WTF Opus 2” is a funky one that has a rock element to it when a mean guitar enters to help tell the story. “Another Kind of Diva” is another kind of track that showcases St. Victor’s vocal range. “Oya’s Daughter” is worth more than a listen- there’s no track worth skipping so just sit back and enjoy this journey from 70s soul to 80s funk, 90s R&B and beyond.