The inspiring, gale force emergence of Ayline Artin as an explosive rock powerhouse with her provocatively titled new album, Heaven In Hell, will undeniably draw you in and addict you to, not only her voice, but her infectious, and energetic passionate personality. Artin’s fire filled emotion into the rock scene takes us back to our organic roots and talent of true rock, reminding us all that we live in an age where we have learned not to penalize but to appreciate longevity and gender pride in the music business. Referring to herself as “Fire Lady”, her performances capture the essence of her intense passion for rock and roll as her fire and desire for life pull you into all expressions of love.
A wildly adventurous force of nature both in studio and especially onstage, Ayline (pronounced EYE-lean) is a multi-instrumentalist who writes her own music and lyrics. Her blues and soul-infused rock and roll aesthetic is brilliantly showcased over the 13 tracks of “Heaven In Hell”. “If I had to throw around a one-word description of what my music, the hard rockers and the ballads, are all about, it is LOVE. Sexy love for my wife, my life, my passion toward my music, my journey, and all of life’s gifts that I’ve been blessed with, fueled by this fire inside of me that keeps them alive and strong.”\
MUSIC
From the raw, deep flaming electric guitar chords and punchy groove at the start of the fiery blues rocker “Addicted To You” through the high-octane symphonic rock jam “Serpentine,” an absolute “monsterpiece,” Heaven In Hell alternately showcases Ayline Artin’s emotionally piercing rock voice and the sly sensuality she modulates to on the collection’s equally compelling ballads. These are songs of passion, joy, gratitude, longing, romance and that burning desire and fire she speaks so eloquently about. A strong entry point into her deep, expansive artistry is the title track, “Heaven In Hell,” an edgy, hard driving rocker – featuring an intoxicating percussion intro by Brown and Nils’ blistering guitar. The track is about the dangers of being in love with one person but feeling a compelling chemistry with someone else. True to its title, “Rocket Fuel Girl” is a furious, high-octane romp – with a killer chorus fired by anthem-like vocal harmonies by Artin herself - declaring the truly out of this world transcendence Artin feels not only about her wife (and the 27 years they’ve been together), but her life and the way it’s flipped since they fell in love. We could all use a little bit more of this: “Rocket fuel girl you blast me to another galaxy/You make me feel so damn alive.”
As dynamic as she is when she’s rockin’, Artin is equally impactful when she shares her more subtle, soulful side on the slow simmering, blues inflected power ballad “Reality” – which she calls one of her favorite songs to sing from the heart. It includes her hard-won inspirational wisdom about how we forge our own destiny in the lines “We create it/Then we live it/Let’s embrace it.” Another of these “subtle musically but intensely emotional” gems capturing the sensitive side of Artin’s artistry is the hypnotic acoustic ballad “If I Had You,” which finds her reflecting on meeting 27 years ago the woman who would become her wife.
While most of the songs were penned solely by Artin, she collaborated with Nils, Brown and Harold Payne, a multi-platinum songwriter, on the hard chugging rocker “Addicted To You” and “Showtime,” a lighthearted pop rocker (with a soaring killer chorus) about coming into her own as an artist and performer and embracing the limelight: “Letting go of all my fears/Butterflies all disappear/I see the light/I hear the crowd/A million voices pull me out.” The singer collaborated with Nils on two other tracks. The first is the moody confessional “Life On Edge,” which confidently affirms the belief in herself it took to get to this point in her life – and from which others can learn: “I thank all the times I failed/I thank all the times I’ve been knocked down on my ass and prayed/Oh I knew some day my life would change.” The other is “Golden Wings,” a heartfelt and empowering tribute to a friend who helped Artin find her spiritual path and become more aware and appreciative of life’s many blessings. Another key song is the one that convinced Nils that Ayline Artin was the real deal – “Take Back The Night,” a stunning piano driven ballad which chronicles her reality as a sex abuse survivor in the hope that her ability to overcome that early trauma can help others do the same. She sings, “I’m gonna take it back for the little girl/I’m gonna give that girl back to her world…give her the strength to set her free.”