The Indonesian pop singer-songwriter is fearless enough to pursue her pop idealism in her first-ever studio album, even when the album’s retro-ness doesn’t always pay off.
The great thing about surprise music releases is that the music audience would have no chance to come up with any expectations or pre-conceptions. Oftentimes, comments on social media, no matter how thoughtful or thoughtless they are, during an album rollout can cloud everyone from seeing the bigger picture. Thus, with Salma Salsabil releasing her debut full-length studio album, Berharap Pada Timur, without any roll-out campaign at all on Jan. 23, the music audience would have no choice but to pay attention to the album for what it actually is — instead of what they assumed or wished it would be.
This strategy usually takes a lot of courage — a type of courage that Salma Salsabil must have obtained after winning big at last year’s AMI Awards. With both a dedicated fanbase and industry recognition now under her belt, Salma Salsabil seemed to waste no time playing things safe. In retrospect, this also reflects why she burst onto the scene as the winner of the 12th season of Indonesian Idol: from the very beginning, she has never been afraid of surprising her audiences.
BPT starts with its title track, “Berharap Pada Timur”, which sets the tone of the album pretty well — in fact, a little *too* well. Music producer team S/EEK’s fusion of late-80s pop, acid jazz, and disco funk adorning “Berharap Pada Timur” will also predominantly serve as the key material that wraps up the entire album, turning the 8-track LP into a melodic gift basket rich in nostalgia. Salma Salsabil kicks things up in the following track, “Jenuh Tapi Butuh”, and these two songs basically reflect the bi-dimensionality of the emotional moods within the album: cheeky longing and bittersweet joy. In a way, the spirit of BPT personally reminds me of BAALE’s Fortuna and BANK’s Fana.
How Salma Salsabil arranged the album’s tracklist, meanwhile, is pretty clever. It was a gutsy move that, out of all the standalone singles she has released thus far, she only included “Bunga Hati” (also produced by S/EEK) in the album. Nevertheless, her decision to put “Bunga Hati” as Track #3 was the right one. The listeners who might not immediately fall in love with Salma Salsabil’s sonic direction in “Berharap Pada Timur” and “Jenuh Tapi Butuh” would most likely be reminded, after listening to “Bunga Hati”, that this is still Salma Salsabil that they have known and loved since her nubile, Indonesian Idol days.
Once BPT progresses, however, that’s also when the cracks start showing. While Salma Salsabil’s commitment to her so-called ‘retro’ vision is admirable, this sonic direction grows convoluted and saturated to the point where it starts coming across as exhausting. With much-grounded music production, “Amin” could have become a heart-piercing ode to messy romance. Unfortunately, S/EEK puts so many elements in the song’s production that it doesn’t leave enough space for the song’s vulnerability to shine through. “Sesal”, which is supposed to be the album’s big showstopper, suffers from the same complication as “Amin“. Furthermore, this ballad is laden with all-too-familiar déjà vu — especially for listeners who grew up with the early ballads by Whitney Houston and Bryan Adams. Meanwhile, Salma Salsabil and S/EEK’s decision to cover Ruth Sahanaya’s 1987 tune “Memori” with another nostalgia-flavoured spin doesn’t necessarily elevate the original version.
It should also be noted that S/EEK serves as the sole music producer of the entire album. While Salma Salsabil’s previous standalone singles (“Menghargai Kata Rindu”, “Rumah”, “Affa Iyah”) wouldn’t have fit with this album’s vision anyway, perhaps putting the Laleilmanino-produced “Boleh Juga” could have made the album more balanced and spunkier. That is also another missing element in BPT — this album doesn’t showcase Salma Salsabil’s youthful, spunky side. This also goes to show that while having *too many* producers in the kitchen can mess up the meal, having *too few* producers can be just as risky as well.
Out of all the songs in BPT, it is “Terima Kasih”, the album’s closing track, that stands out as Salma Salsabil’s strongest song. Here, it is clear that the song’s sincere message comes first and foremost, and that the song’s Bruce Springsteen-esque vibe is only meant as a supporting element. In a way, despite the album’s flaws, Salma Salsabil still makes sure that BPT ends with a bang. Perhaps she is a big believer in the old rule of thumb that the best should be saved for last. In this case, she made the right call.
Is BPT better than most debut albums out there? By some margin, the answer is yes. Despite the album’s overtly saturated production, at least Salma Salsabil is bold enough to showcase her idealism from start to finish. BPT also suggests that Salma Salsabil had no intention to deliver a straightforward pop record. If that is indeed the case, she may have what it takes to be the pioneer of her generation.
That being said, after assessing the entire album, BPT does not soar as high as the undeniably excellent debut albums like Nadin Amizah’s Selamat Ulang Tahun, Hindia’s Menari Dengan Bayangan, Noise From Under’s Aliquem Alium Internum, Grrl Gang’s Spunky!, and Bernadya’s Sialnya, Hidup Harus Tetap Berjalan. Unlike those albums, BPT’s biggest flaw lies in its music choice and production. The pop retro universe is actually very expansive and diverse to explore. But, after listening to BPT, it is as if Salma Salsabil and S/EEK found too much inspiration from VH1 Classic.
I decided to close this review by acknowledging the real possibility that Salma Salsabil’s fans might react to this review with sour emotions. In fact, last year has taught me that people can react so moodily to reviews — even when such reviews were composed and delivered as politely as possible. Regardless of such risks, I always believe that the most beautiful (and everlasting) magnolia flowers can only grow in hard soil. BPT is not a perfect album, but it is a praiseworthy start for Salma Salsabil. She is gutsy enough to pursue the sound that she wants and keep her creative circle small and focused — this move already sets her apart from other pop newbies who are often unsure of what exactly they want to create. What Salma Salsabil needs to do next, just like magnolia flowers, is simply grow — and hopefully, this review can help her figure out how.
All images are courtesy of Universal Music Indonesia.