Alali is currently attending Boston’s Berklee College of Music. So what does she have to look forward to when she graduates? If history holds true she’ll probably be entering a job market where as a woman she’ll receive 22¢ less than her male co-workers doing the same job. While that would make most of us angry or frustrated Mina has channel her feelings about hitting this glass ceiling and turned them into music on an album cleverly titled “22 Cents Less” (Kick-A-Beat Records).
Whereas the lyrics for the title track proclaim, “She will give it her best short of 22 cents/No she won’t half sweat, 78 percent,/She will give it her all – wants to be standing tall/Though she’s got to accept she’s 22 cents less, 22 cents less”, Mina is 100% on top of her game. Eight great songs performed with the poise and confidence of someone well beyond her young years. If she maintains this level of excellence in her singing career I don’t believe she’ll have to worry about finding that “day job” when she finishes college.
Her “22 Cents Less” song addresses a lot more than just about the discrepancy in salaries between the sexes. It’s about the deeper problem of how women are often marginalized in society. This was made abundantly evident during the course of the 2016 presidential election in the USA. Many of the accusations hurled during the campaign cycle were instead of being focused upon the political issues were centered on the expected (demanded?) behavioral differences of men and women; such as manner of dress, voice level, facial expression, and even restroom use.
The second track on her album, “No Lovin’ Me”, also seems to continue this theme. “Count On You” deals what is frequently referred to in current culture as “mansplaining”, a portmanteau of words that hits the sexist nail squarely on its thick head. Maybe I’m reaching a bit here but the infectiously dancey little number called “Inside Out” seems to be the logical conclusion of being constantly reminded that you’re less-than. Here Ms. Alali opts to dance out the anger as opposed to raging against the inequity.
The introspective “A Little Bit of Me” slows the tempo down a bit without diminishing the intensity Mina brings before the microphone when she sings. “With You, Only You” picks up the pace again and deals with finding respite from the storms we sometimes face in life. Rounding the “22 Cents Less” album out is a sweet little love song dedicated to “My Italian Boy” and closes with a cover of the 1961 Elvis Presley hit, “I Can’t Help Falling In Love”. Alas, she only sings the opening of this classic and ends it before the epic bridge section of the song. Did she do so to add to the poignant impact of when love can end unexpectedly?
An unexpected in Mina Alali’s press-kit was the inclusion of a video of a new Christmas song she’s just released for the holiday season. As you’ll see in “What I Want”, this girl not only wants to make great music when she’s in the recording studio, but she also wants to have fun. Mina not only has a lot to say she knows how to say it and certainly has a good time while she’s doing it.
You can keep tabs on Mina Alali at: http://www.minaalali.com
