Karina Nistal Heaven Inside Review

Karina Nistal – Heaven Inside – Review

Karina Nistal – Heaven Inside Single Review by Mr Topple for Pauzeradio.com.

After around 25 years on the music scene, Texas-based Karina Nistal has returned with another awe-inspiring track that shows her at her very best and is availabe on vinyl in the Pauzeradio vinyl shop.

Heaven Inside, released via Music4Life, sees Nistal join forces with the Austin-based label headed up by producer DJ RJ. The final mixing and mastering is of a very high quality, and has created a rich and rounded sound. DJ RJ said of the track:

“Heaven Inside comes from my daily meditation practice which I started doing during Covid and I have continued every day. So many of us have been looking outside of us for the answers, when we should look within and learn to trust in the blessings that God has for us. It was a joy to have legendary engineer Steven Stanley, one of my heroes, create the final mix at Mixing Lab in Kingston, Jamaica. I’m very proud of what our team put together on this project.”

The arrangement sees a mixture of styles come into play. First, there are staple Roots musical devices used throughout. Jeremy Carlson’s keys run a bubble rhythm, albeit intermittently at times, while a guitar strums a gentle skank. Alan Moe Monsarrat’s bass runs a drop-beat rhythm, which interestingly here misses the fourth beat as a rule of thumb – not the usual pattern for a Roots bass. However, the drums from DJ RJ are interesting – swerving between a traditional Roots one drop but with additional syncopation across the snare rim clicks giving the feeling of a higher BPM than is present, hinting at something rather Breakbeat. There’s a pleasing use of an electric organ throughout, running at times a counter melody and at others chords filled with vibrato.

Then, there is some well-executed Dub engineering throughout – including pleasing reverb across the keys – as well as starkly-arranged breaks. A second guitar line from John Coupe mimics Nistal’s main vocal melody at times, while winding off into its own arrangement – and it feels all very Bluesy-Rock. The inclusion of some inspired synths gives Heaven Inside a very throwback 80s feel at points – and overall, the arrangement merges the best of Roots with nice inflections of other genres.

Nistal has lost none of her power as a vocalist over the years, with here being no exception. Her rich, rounded voice sits in a mid-range soprano but with the embouchure at times of an alto – that is, horizontal. She has a pleasing tone – clean and crisp – and good control across what is a lilting and meandering melody compared to elements of the arrangement. She flits between her head and her chest voice well and makes pleasing use of subtle dynamic shifts to bring light and shade to proceedings.

Lyrically, Nistal said Heaven Inside:

“invites listeners to find inner tranquillity and joy. The heartfelt lyrics celebrate love, unity, and the divine spirit within us all”.

Indeed, the track exudes those qualities and certainly delivers. Heaven Inside is musically very pleasing, with a well-constructed arrangement. Nistal’s vocal is on-point and mesmerising, and overall, the track is highly affecting.

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Karina Nistal Heaven Inside Review Review by Mr Topple / Pauzeradio PR Services.

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