Nina Vidal - The Open-Ended Fantasy (2011)

If a name is supposed a window into an individual’s personality or future pursuits, then one would figure that Nina Simone Vidal would be doing something artsy. Her surname, Vidal, places her on a track to be a public intellectual/writer (or perhaps a fashion designer). Her first and middle name obviously put her on a stage singing jazz, blues and soul. Nina Simone Vidal is a singer with a new record titled The Open-Ended Fantasy, so it’s clear that she decided to follow her namesake into the music business.
The Open-Ended Fantasy shows that Vidal is quite adept at writing lyrics for a modern pop record. In fact, it’s Vidal’s writing that stands out here. Vidal uses The Open-Ended Fantasy to explore the many facets of the game of love. There is a temptation to believe that a songwriter has to write in a deep and obscure manner in order to be viewed as a wordsmith. That is not the case. Vidal masters a variety of lyrical techniques in her songwriting. The best example comes on the tune “Inside Outside,” where she uses the concept of opposites attracting to show how a good relationship can put someone into a perpetual ‘glass half full’ state: “Lonely days/End before they’ve begun/Winter winds warm my skin/Like summer sun/And the inside is the outside/When you want me/And every side is the bright side/When you want me.”
Vidal’s soft soprano voice is understated and perhaps a bit underrated. However, listeners gain a better appreciation for Vidal’s voice on cuts like “Let’s Just Stay In.” Percussion drives this jazzy bedroom jam with a bass beat that is accented by a Harmon muted trumpet. The tune tells the story of a woman convincing her lover to stay home on a rainy night. Vidal’s feathery vocals perfectly capture the seductive tone set by the lyrics and the musical composition. The track “Cigarette & Wine” shows Vidal's sassy and independent side on a kiss off song about a woman freeing herself from a disloyal lover. On “Starry Night,” Vidal describes a busy urban scene filled with people, skyscrapers and other things that stand between the vocalist and the person she wants to meet. Melodically, the track takes a pensive tone as Vidal sings about a woman’s hostile gaze and high buildings that obscure the nighttime stars. The person that she wants to meet remains a mystery: “Wanna know you/Wanna feel you/Gotta reach you/Don’t know how to,” she sings in the hook.
Nina Vidal is not a screamer, and that probably won’t work to her advantage in a music world filled with carnival barkers and clowns. However listeners looking for artist with something to say won’t ignore Vidal’s soft and sensual voice and the fine songwriting that stands behind it. Recommended.