For Malaysian audiences, there’s no introduction needed here. Singer-songwriter Reza Salleh has been charming the country’s music lovers for close to ten years, 2010 finally saw the release debut album Realize, a collection of songs he’s written in the past ten years.
After graduating from Monash University in Australia, Reza returned to Malaysia and founded a live music circuit called Moonshine, showcasing up-and-coming singer-songwriters. Moonshine helped catapult the career of a notable few Malaysian musicians like Yuna and Najwa, and he is also credited with launching the career of Diandra Arjunaidi.
The great thing about waiting so long to release an album is being able to cultivate the tunes; Reza truly knows his songs and he expresses them emotively. Songs like “Kasih”, “A Relic is What I Live In” and “Stracciatella” are clearly influenced by late 90s alternative bands; “Ocean Spanning Sorrow” and “Sunsets With You” have a bossa nova influence.
Realize is currently in sale in Malaysia, but his entire album can be streamed HERE. A free download of “Stracciatella” is available on his website.
Here’s “Stracciatella” by Reza Salleh from his album Realize: