You will all know my fondness for the music of plastic pop princesses yet even I have to admit that there are pop princesses out there who don’t quite fit the into the processed norms expected of the multinational marketing machine with Oktehya being a valid example of parallelling expectations whilst still steering an individual course. Time, therefore, to put “A Changeable Feast” into the critical blender.
There is undoubtedly a considerable amount of digital processing and general studio trickery to be found in these five songs yet her artistic intent always remains clear. In production terms, despite the loops aplenty, there are also melodies and even words that are worth a listen or three. Don’t get me wrong for this isn’t poetry but many out there in the urban jungle will find what they hear relatable as if a voice had finally been found that sounds familiar yet still finds resonance on the many internalised concerns of those who find themselves trapped in the prison of the here and now.
A potential pop princess with her finger on the pulse then? That might well be the case as Oktehya is most certainly a product of today and, whilst she isn’t singing the songs of a misfit, she clearly still has something valid to say. On that basis, five songs doesn’t seem quite enough.