Pause and play
Ali McGuirk took her time with her new release, but ‘Slow Burn’ is worth the wait
Ali
McGuirk got it right when she named her debut album “Slow Burn.” The singer, songwriter and soul chanteuse sure took her time getting here. Some of the songs date back to when the 29-year-old was an undergrad at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“The newest song on the album was just written this summer, but `That
Way' was the first song I ever wrote,” McGuirk said of the mid-tempo R&B groove. “I think I finished it my freshman or sophomore year.”
Taking your time is fine when it's time well spent. A single listen to “Slow Burn” reveals that McGuirk's labor of love is full of rewards. The record ranges from '70s-style quiet storm to '90s neo-soul to modern alternative R&B. What's that mean? If you dig Marvin Gaye or Sade, Norah Jones or Ledisi, you'll dig “Slow Burn.”
“I'm a soul person; I love it ... but what I love best is when anyone references Marvin Gaye with this record,” McGuirk said ahead of her album release party tomorrow night at Thunder Road. “I wanted the kind of burning groove that runs through a Marvin Gaye record to be here. Maybe for the next album, I will be interested in doing something super-composed, super-structured. But we're a vibey band. We're loose, and I wanted people to hear that.”
The way the tracks flow into each other almost mimics the aesthetic of “What's Going On” or “Let's Get It On.” Part of that comes from McGuirk's sequencing of the record. For instance, she kicks things off with the breezy and slow “The Calling.”
“From the moment I wrote it, I knew it was going to be first on the album,” she said. “It's just how I like things to start: (keyboardist) DeShawn (Alexander's) textures, then the vocal harmonies, the song isn't in a rush to get anywhere.”
McGuirk has been singing locally for a few years, but she's kept a low profile (a too-low profile). Thankfully, that's changing. In the months leading up to her debut, she's played out more, pushed her music more and pricked up some ears. This fall, she landed her first Boston Music Award nomination and will compete for New Artist of the Year at the December BMA ceremonies.
Now that Boston is coming together and the album is out, McGuirk plans to expand beyond the city. She'll be in New York on Sunday and around New England over the rest of the year.
“I'm famous in Boston already,” she said, then laughing. “No, I'm joking, but it is a rare gig here where someone in the crowd doesn't know all our songs already. We will get out of town more regularly, playing the new music for new venues and new people. That's important to keep us excited about the music.”