The World Was Never Enough

Adia Victoria “Devil Is A Lie”

“Devil Is A Lie” is a ballad that comes out of both jazz vocal and showtune traditions, but more specifically owes a debt to Fiona Apple and Jon Brion’s synergy of those styles on her second and third records. Adia Victoria doesn’t always work in this lane – her current record often sounds more like blues rock filtered through TV on the Radio vibes – but she ought to do songs like this more often as it really suits her raspy but expressive vocal style. The melody of this song is a delight, and there’s a very appealing low-key hamminess to Victoria’s delivery. Her phrasing is playful, but not so much that she obscures her struggles with temptation or her annoyance with “the stress of always having to be happy all the time.” The sweetness of the tune is undercut by bitterness and acidity, like the musical equivalent of a good dark chocolate.

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