A Problem Like Maria (often abbreviated as APLM) is a singer-songwriter and MC gifted with a voice meant for slow jams dipped in honey. APLM is a chameleon hailing from the tropical country, Philippines. She is known to delve into different genres. She can be a hip-hop vixen a minute then transform into a foul-mouthed rapper with quick, sharp tongue the next. And if you are too slow, you will miss her as a sultry songstress with folkie leanings.
In Cold Summer, we see APLM’s ability to effortlessly turn beats and tunes into smooth and sexy tracks made for chilling out and flying into space. In the first track Sway (featuring Maximillian and Brian Dumont), APLM croons, “tick tock tick tock†and you feel her voice slowly usher you into a waiting room with nothing but you and this track playing on loop. This is pure torture, but of the good kind, as you feel the throb of the track lull you into a stupor of the musical kind.
In her collaboration with another Filipino talent, Similarobjects, title track Cold Summer displays APLM’s vocals as a douse of ice-cold water on a very hot day. In this outstanding collab, Similarobjects (Jorge Wieneke) made sure that the loops wouldn’t overpower the vocals. His experimentation with electronica beats highlighted APLM’s sultry alto. The track sounds and feels like a fully realized song – a product of two musical artists who know their strengths and see clearly the direction their music is headed to. And in this song, both their talents and dedication to their craft gave birth to a stylish track.
Track List:
1. Sway (feat. Maximillian & Brian Dumont)
2. Cold Summer (feat. Similarobjects)
3. Clever (feat. Rekapper)
Related Links:
A Problem Like Maria’s Official Website
A Problem Like Maria on Facebook
A Problem Like Maria on Twitter
A Problem Like Maria on Tumblr
A Problem Like Maria on Soundcloud