When fashion model
Rosie Vela branched out into singing and songwriting with her debut album
Zazu, skeptics suspected that she was just another pretty face who was trying to get by on her looks. But truth be told,
Zazu is a solid pop/rock effort that could be described as an interesting combination of
Joni Mitchell and
Steely Dan.
Vela doesn't have a great voice -- her voice is small and thin, but like jazz great
Chet Baker, she demonstrates that you don't have to have a fantastic vocal range to be expressive and deliver a meaningful album. Favoring a relaxed, cool-toned style of singing,
Vela also demonstrates that she's a talented songwriter -- in fact, she wrote most of the songs herself. Mitchell and
Steely Dan are obviously major influences, and the strong
Steely Dan influence isn't surprising when you consider that
Zazu was produced by
Gary Katz (who is best known for his work with that group) and that former Dan members
Donald Fagen (keyboards) and
Walter Becker (guitar) play on many of the songs.
Vela showed a lot of promise on this album, which wasn't the big seller it should have been.