The Singles Jukebox

Checking in with Istanbul…

[Video]
[6.29]

Alfred Soto: A passionately strummed trifle from this Turkish singer with hints of PJ Harvey’s To Bring You My Love phase.
[6]

Leonel Manzanares de la Rosa: Göksel’s two greatest strengths — melodicism and sensuality — emphasized in a way that is almost overpowering. The cadence, mostly the restraint in the guitar/oud main riff, gives her a lot of room, but I don’t know if it was a good decision to put her vocal so high in the mix. Still, Göksel remains unparalleled in Turkish Pop when it comes to constructing melodies; you can hear that brilliance in the bridge, when her range opens up, the violin joins in and the beat finally goes somewhere. 
[6]

Iain Mew: In the guitar figures of “Tam da Şu An,” with their galloping rhythm and audible scraping of individual strings, Göksel has a great starting point, evocative of a timeless sense of danger, a soundtrack for kicking up dust on the way to epic deeds. Her matching the feeling in her singing, if not expanding much on it, is enough to set up the solo towards the end to hit hard.
[7]

Ryo Miyauchi: The tail-chasing music initially seems to follow the beat of her story, but the cycling groove starts to wear out pretty quick as it becomes clear she doesn’t move much from where she started. The guitars provide no major peaks nor valleys, and I hear nothing new from each reiteration of the titular phrase, a hook she keeps on pushing to me as if I didn’t catch it the first time.
[5]

Stephen Eisermann: My selfish, uncultured ass would love to hear this in Spanish/English so I could fully understand the lyrics in real time (as opposed to relying on after the fact translations). This song, with the slick, strumming guitar and Göksel’s sultry vocals, is one of the more naturally sexy songs of the year with Göksel completely dominating the track. Her sexuality oozes from her vocals, and I can’t help but wonder just how many people would inevitably sign up for her class on commanding your own sexuality at the YMCA.
[7]

Tim de Reuse: This song is due many positive marks for its loping, engaging sense of momentum and its intertwining plucked melodic lines; unfortunately, all high points are made moot by the rusty, chafing distortion on the vocal line, which bodyslams the whole experience down dangerously close to “unlistenable.”
[5]

Jonathan Bradley: Göksel beds down a folk-blues groove and burrows deep inside. The melody draws from Arabic pop but her swelling vocal, solemn and intimate, stands solitary. The longer this track winds on, the starker she sounds.
[8]