These are stressful times, so why not take a break and relax with a cup of tea? tree to tree<\/em>. This is Ashley Maher’s latest album, released by Spin Wild Records (October 2025). Her warm vocals invite us to light and playful music. They run parallel with a multi-genre mix that moves easily from pop to folk to jazz to mubarax (more on African genres later) and back again.<\/p>\n Ashley looks lithe while rocking her long red hair. But she’s more than just a dramatic presence. She is a California-based lyricist, singer, and dancer with a long-time love of Africa and its music. I recently spoke with her about her latest release, among other things.<\/p>\n i love your vocals tree to tree<\/em>. The tone is soothing and reminds me of hearing Joni Mitchell sing a great, compelling story. You\u2019ve probably heard this comparison before?\u2026(We both laugh).<\/strong><\/p>\n I’ve heard that all my life. People notice similarities in our tone of voice and phrasing. Many years ago, when I was doing vocal training in Italy, some young singers were working hard on developing their voices. I started thinking, “How can I sing more naturally?”<\/p>\n T<\/strong>His music on this album just feels natural. Could you please comment on that?<\/strong><\/p>\n I went to Senegal for just two weeks of work. The time it takes to create an album is short. For the first few days, half of the musicians I normally work with were on tour, so I only had one day to record with them. We did three songs together. During their initial absence, I recorded five more songs with incredibly talented musicians from Benin, Gabon, Congo and the Ivory Coast. This gave the album an international feel beyond pure Mubaraks.<\/p>\n The entire album was recorded almost live, as there was no time to do multiple takes and stitch them together. Sometimes when you press something together, spontaneity<\/em> I don’t have time to think about anything, so these are my absolute words. It’s scary, but I love the energy this brings to the music.<\/p>\n Are you an experienced improviser?<\/strong><\/p>\n Many singers are given a song and told to sing the alto part correctly. Unlike instrumentalists, they are not encouraged to improvise. In other words, someone who could scat like Ella Fitzgerald was an amazing person.<\/p>\n In the late ’80s, Bobby McFarlin, as some of you may know, had a vocal group called Voicestra. They performed an impromptu vocal concert. I studied with Rhiannon, who I sang with. She has been teaching vocal improvisation around the world for decades and has built a worldwide network of improvisers.<\/p>\n Indeed, Ashley seems to be thriving with a fresh, unplanned sound. When she first traveled to Africa as a young dancer, she became fascinated with mubaraks, a genre found in Senegal and Gambia. This music includes intense polyrhythms and fast tempos. Mubaraks often include tightly cued moments in which the drums are played in unison with rapid intensity.<\/p>\n Percussion is grouped together by the sabar, which is played with one hand and a stick, the tama or talking drum, which is shaped like an hourglass and whose pitch changes depending on the pressure of the arm, and the da, which is a tall lead drum that is struck while standing on the ground with a stick.<\/p>\n She was also fascinated by the Senegalese Sabal dance performed with Mubaraks. I was able to raise my arms and legs high according to the rhythm. Ashley is tall like a Senegalese, so this dance felt liberating. After years of researching different dance forms from across Africa, Savard’s power, energy, and rhythmic complexity seemed a strange fit. <\/p>\n Since 2007, Ashley has traveled to Senegal every year, eager to make new connections. While other Western musicians may come and go from the continent, she has worked hard to build and maintain musical partnerships there. The strength of these collaborations is evident on her eighth album.<\/p>\n Your current album contains a more diverse musical language than previous albums I’ve heard. Vocals are fuller and more multi-tracked. Is this album a departure for you?<\/strong><\/p>\n My albums before this were purely Mubaraks, with a team of Senegal’s best musicians. Some Senegalese music is rhythmically rich, while others are harmonically simple.<\/p>\n But when we made this album, we had an influx of very talented musicians from Japan.<\/p>\n Other African countries also go to Senegal. They had strong musical backgrounds in genres such as gospel and jazz. They took a different approach to music.<\/p>\n Yes, this record was a departure, but it felt good. This is a better representation of my own musical vocabulary. Because I grew up listening to 70’s singer-songwriters, bands like Earth, Wind and Fire, funk, Brazilian music, and a little bit of jazz.<\/p>\n Did you prepare the songs in advance? Or did you make it on the spot?<\/strong><\/p>\n My musicality is all by ear, but I arrived with all my songs written, planned, and arranged. It was a dream come true to work with Jean Mermoz, a great pianist from Benin. He was able to interpret and build on my demo beautifully. And he was excited about the arrangement. Willy Bousset is also a phenomenal bassist from Gabon who brought an extra level of heat to the mix.<\/p>\n On which tracks can you hear Busetto shine?<\/strong><\/p>\n His bass solo at the end of the track.\u201dmusic<\/em>\u201d <\/p>\n surely, “music<\/em>“The album opens with a gentle, catchy funk track. We hear a low-pitched female vocal that is both intimate and direct. Alongside her, soft, dancing keyboards, electric guitar, and bass intertwine. The singer describes the healing power of music as, “It’s here to set us free.”<\/p>\n And this upbeat sensibility pervades several songs on the album. The second song is \u201csalt & pepper<\/em>“” is a straightforward and playful song. The song is about the ambivalence of middle-aged people about their hair turning gray. And finally, the singer praises the “salt and pepper warriors in my life.”<\/p>\n \n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kabtil.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1775311764_824_Ashley-Mahers-music-of-hope-and-beauty-World-Music.jpg\")
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