Amber Ojeda Revisited

About two and half years ago I wrote a post about Amber Ojeda. That’s the only post I can think of off the top of my head that I was ever re

ally displeased with or that ever sparked controversy with an artist. I recently got back in contact with Amber and expressed my interest in revisiting her music so that I could portray it in a more positive light. She was surprised by my efforts to reconnect with her after so long, but was all for the idea. So here we go…

Amber Ojeda

Amber Ojeda is a talented singer whose primary musical roots are in jazz, but she is equally as comfortable recording and playing music in the styles of R&B and hip-hop. In fact, a number of her songs will flip-flop from one genre to the other. For example, the short album I took a look at in my original post is mostly R&B and hip-hop in nature. It includes really catchy songs such as “All I Need (Money Mix),” which includes a thumping beat and a supporting male rapper, and “Love from the Band,” which is an R&B song with jazz-like drum fills and a lilting piano that loops throughout the song. Just a quick note, those two songs quickly became personal favorites of mine and can almost always be found on my iPhone. And “All I Need (Money Mix)” has become a favorite song of mine to drum along with since I can always come up with some inspired beats while listening to it.

I’ll provide downloads of those two previously mentioned songs for a limited time at the end of this post as always. Listen to those two songs and compare them to this live performance of “Love from the Band” from YouTube.

Sounds a little different doesn’t it? Whereas the recorded version of “Love from the Band” had a quicker pace, faster and more prevalent percussion, and a more thumping bass, the live version wasn’t so heavy on the drums and was therefore a little lighter, a little smoother, and there was also a saxophone and I’m guessing a little improvisation added to the mix. There’s a clear division of styles between the two versions of the one song even though there is some clear jazz influence in the recorded version. As to which version is better, I couldn’t say. I guess it really depends on what you’re in the mood for; they’re both really good, so it’s really up to a preference of jazz versus R&B.

As for what Amber Ojeda has been doing more recently, well, she’s still working on new material. You can check out a couple of her more recent songs, “Lady Like” and “Broken Is Broken,” at No Samples. The most recent of these two songs, according to Amber herself, is “Broken to Broken,” which is a relatively simple yet catchy R&B/hip-hop song. The focus is mostly on Amber’s vocals and the story of a broken relationship, hence the title. It’s interesting to actually hear Amber rap a little bit as well. Of the two songs on the site, I honestly prefer “Lady Like” simply because the acoustic guitar in the background adds a little more musical complexity that you can sink your teeth into. But don’t get me wrong, they’re both great songs that could easily become incredibly popular if given the right exposure.

Amber also informed me that she’s just finishing up a series of winter shows at Angel’s in Santa Monica where she has focused on performing jazz. In fact, you can catch her this Sunday, March 14 from 8:30-11 PM if you’re in the area. If you can’t make that show, then you can see her live at the Dakota Music Lounge, also in Santa Monica, on April 23 at 10:30 PM. Hopefully, you’ll be lucky enough to see a mix of both R&B and jazz if you go see her live.

Also make sure to check out Amber Ojeda at MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube.

Amber Ojeda – Love from the Band
Amber Ojeda – All I Need (Money Mix)