Greater Bird of Paradise – Uriel (Spotify)
“Listening to this song after a more layered elecronica reviewing session was like that sun beams from the cloud to the sea. The soft acoustic guitar offered directly a clean and chill listening and when the vocals of ambient folk singer "Great Bird Of Paradise" hit in, with her warm voice, my heart hover gently, like a butterfly starts her short trip to the next flower. The song is a hauntingly beautiful plea to a mythological archangel for social justice, for us a song that definately will return many times to seek its peace.”
-Nagamag.com
Hailing from Brooklyn, Sam Christopher, aka Greater Bird of Paradise, combines a unique ethereal vocal style with classic folk elements. Utilizing a mercurial wit and inventive lyrics, Sam's songs are both familiar and progressive, with sprinkles of psychedelia and ambient influence. The latest single, "Uriel", creates an aura of sublime mysticism as it tracks an internal plea from the singer towards one of the archangels of judeo christian traditon. Combining elements of classic spiritual hymn with contemporary experimentalism and attitude, the lyrics alternate from impressionistic imagery to more concrete requests for the supernatural to aid in the creation of a more just society.
Reviewed by Nagamag on September 7, 2020