Sada K – Long Story Short

Sada K
Long Story Short (released January 2015)
www.sadakmusic.com

By Bob Marovich

“Everyone has a story,” Sada K says in the opening moments of her solo CD, Long Story Short. Her story, she admits, was stained with tears, but it’s “time to shine the light.”

And for forty minutes, that’s what Sada (like Jayda with an S) does. The album is a fourteen-track testimony that chronicles the singer’s ups and downs, and her ultimate victory.

The testimony is real. The Kansas City-raised Sada, lead singer for Christian pop band Press Play, had her singing career nearly derailed when she developed a serious knee injury. She underwent surgeries, physical therapy, and had to rely on a wheelchair and a cane to get around. Then both her parents were diagnosed with cancer.

But even Job got his feast, and Sada channeled her angst into this winning album. Her beguiling voice is equal parts Rhianna, Pink, and Alicia Keys, with brief flourishes of Lady Gaga. She wraps her pop chops around tuneful melodies with personal lyrics of pleasure and pain. For every breezy track such as the infectious “Live Laugh Love,” Sada shares moments of despair, such as on “Fix Me,” where she asks God, “Can you fix me. . .again?”

There are so many compelling selections, it’s hard to single out one or two, but for my money, the dance-pop propelled “Dance Through the Fire” and “Fix Me” are the standout selections, with “Live Laugh Love” and the dreamy “Fly” close seconds. Knowing how Sada overcame her physical challenges adds credence to “Stand Up,” a fittingly celebratory conclusion to the album with an interlude from Christian rapper Chief Wakii.

Long Story Short provides a reminder for some, and an introduction for others, of a powerfully talented vocalist who can sing just about anything and make it memorable.

Four of Five Stars

Picks: “Dance Through the Fire,” “Fix Me.”