Elaine Lachica

Elaine Lachica has a voice that is at once sensuously operatic and reminiscent of a wailing ghost or a pre-pubescent child. Her classically trained voice is polished to a glimmer, resonating from one’s speakers and haunting any room that plays her music. If one could imagine a less processed and more vocally disciplined Cocteau Twins, you might get a close approximation of this artist. Throughout 9, Lachica’s voice is either accompanied by drums and keyboards or just piano. The most notable songs here are "Be That Day,” "The Door,” "Drift” and "Blue Blinding Sun.” "Be That Day” has a near-folk-like quality to it as she sings in a mellifluously uplifting manner akin to some of Sarah McLachlan ballads. "Blue Blinding Sun” harbours the closest likeness to music by the Cocteau Twins because it is among the most processed songs on this album, with rippling guitar and piano notes, with the vocals also subject to a ripple effect. "Drift” and the crowning gem track "The Door” are simple piano and vocal ballads that are beautifully eerie, where the listener might feel as if a love forlorn ghost was haunting them. 9 is a fantastic recording and Lachica’s voice is a marvel to behold, a shining example of what raw talent and academic discipline can achieve when working in harmony with each other.