Aubrey ODay is an American multi-hyphenate singer-songwriter and multi-media personality, most notably for being a founding member of the girl band Danity Kane. Oday is often credited as the band’s vocalist, due to the way she sings, but she actually sings lead guitar in many of their songs. Oday was also a dancer for many years, including in the rock band War.
If you are unfamiliar with Aubrey ODay, “Sail” off of the band Danity Kane’s second album, The Pirate, is one of her most recognizable songs. In addition to the familiar chorus, this track also includes a cover by Queen and another by the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. While it is not exactly an epic ballad, it contains a strong central message. It is also worth noting that the lead guitar melody is played by one woman, making it one of the very few female duets in pop history. It’s certainly a lot more interesting than a guy and a gal taking a bubble bath together.
It was also suggested that the collaboration between the band and their lead singer was partially responsible for the success of “Sail”. Oday actually wrote most of this song. She created the melody, sang the words, wrote the lyrics, played the guitar and sang the background instruments. This makes sense when you consider the fact that many artists who try to create hits only succeed with songs written by another artist.
One of the most important things to note about “Sail”, in my opinion, is the use of the Fender Stratocaster. You will notice the similarity to the John Entwistle classic “Babylon Sisters” (also recorded by the King of Pop), but “Sail” actually sounds much better. The difference is the quality of a studio recording. While Oday’s vocal is still very pleasant, Entwistle’s vocal sounds like he’s trying his best to get all his thoughts in during a high-pitched scream. Many people agree that this takes the edge off the song, but I personally don’t care for the quality of recording.
One of the highlights of “Sail” for me is when Oday and guitarist Mark Spoonfield comes into the verses and refit them into a rhythm and blues number. This turns into an awesome rockabilly number. Aubrey Oday and Mark both have great rhythm guitar abilities, and the combination of their talents are awesome. The bottom line is that with amazing musicianship, a great harmony and great vocals, “Sail” easily fits into any era of popular music. Although it wasn’t my favorite track on this CD, I’m giving it five stars because of its excellent performances, especially Aubrey Oday’s vocals.
Overall, this is a fantastic album with lots of beautiful guitar solos. The only thing lacking is a better song. However, with ten songs including “Iris”, this collection is well worth a purchase. If you are an aggressive lead guitar player who wants to expand your horizons, check out Sail.
