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Throughout her career of more than 10 years, Indonesian soul singer Dewi Sandra has had her share of highs and lows. After her divorce from actor Surya Saputra, she married fellow singer Glenn Fredly in a highly publicized wedding. Despite controversy due to the couple’s different religious backgrounds — Fredly a Christian, and Dewi a Muslim — news of their divorce this year came as a surprise to many.

Not unexpectedly, the media went into a shark-like frenzy over the news. And while the public divorce may have been distressing for the former couple, there is no denying that heartbreak often creates the best and most honest kind of art.

With her new release, “Wanita” (“Woman”), Dewi has created an album that is as melodramatic as it is personal, and in the process created perhaps the most commercially appealing work of her career. Throughout the album, the singer wears her heart on her sleeve. But whether the album’s artistic merit matches its public appeal is another issue.

The album’s title track begins with Dewi’s booming, almost-robotic voice declaring, “Love is patience, love is kind, love never fails” — which sets the tone for the lyrical content of the whole album.

The song then moves into electronic R&B territory in the vein of US songstress Rihanna. Dewi’s electronically manipulated vocals drive the song with their repeated refrain of “Cinta, Cinta, Cinta…” (Love, Love, Love…). Melodically, the song retains no discernible hook, instead focusing on its minimalist electro-beat.

The song provides an off-kilter twist during its breakdown when the main beat suddenly drops and shifts into a Middle Eastern-beat and Dewi lays down a Nelly Furtado-style vocal line.

The song’s experimental approach is a welcome opener, and shows Dewi’s willingness to take risks with her music. However, the rest of the album swings back into the familiar, less-challenging territory of ear-pleasing pop.

In the middle of her latest single, “Kapan Lagi Bilang ‘I Love You’ ” (“When Will You Say ‘I Love You’ Again?”), Dewi sings: “When will you compliment me again? Like when you were courting me,” over a melancholy melody backed with flamenco-style acoustic guitars and light strings. It might be a direct reference to her divorce, or it might simply be another archetypal lovelorn lyric found in so many Indonesian pop hits. Either way, the song’s immediacy is undeniable — and it explains why it has become such a hit for the songstress.

On the album’s theme of broken love, Dewi said during the album’s launch: “Love is a gift from God. But when it disintegrates, it’s not love’s fault, but it’s the human’s fault.”

On “Aku Baik-Baik Saja” (“I’m Doing Fine”), Dewi sounds like a classic soul singer from the late ’50s, channeling Motown Record’s heyday. The slightly honky-tonk piano arrangement and Dewi’s attempt at a gruffer vocal style is commendable, but the song’s melody and the cliched love lyrics drive it into overly sugary territory.

Dewi’s collaboration with Indonesian jazz bass-virtuoso Barry Likumahuwa in “Amazing” is more successful. As she sings “You are amazing, I’m head over heels for you,” Dewi’s reverb-drenched vocals sound confident — perhaps because she’s singing in English. The melody is easy to dance or hum to, but its nightclub nuances shine through strongly and effectively.

“Bercinta” (“Making Love”) is a teen-rock pop song in the vein of Britney Spears or Avril Lavigne, complete with faux-rough verse to melodic chorus transition. It is littered with lyrics such as “I know you like me, I know this love isn’t fake, I want to make love like it’s our wedding night.” It’s as cringe-worthy in Indonesian as it is English.

With “Wanita,” Dewi has essentially created a singles album. The ballads are there and so are the dance-pop songs and lovelorn lyrics, complete with a real-life backstory to enhance the drama. The tabloids and fans will eat it up, but songs such as the title track show that Dewi has much more to offer artistically.

Perhaps Dewi, who is known as a more up-tempo pop artist, wants to see how the forlorn-balladeer route pans out. As she herself explains, “I want [the songs] to be as they are, and to try to step away from the usual pop-rock and R&B sound.”

But the songs here show that Dewi would greatly benefit from retaining some of her original up-tempo style to differentiate herself from the large pool of female Indonesian singers.


The Life, Love and Career of Dewi Sandra

Dewi Sandra Killick, better known as Dewi Sandra, was born in Brazil in 1980 to a British father, John George Killick, and Indonesian mother, Prihatini.

Her first foray into the entertainment industry was as a teen model. After releasing a novelty album with eight other teen models titled “Menari-nari” (“Dancing”) in 1996, Dewi released her first solo album, “Kurasakan” (“I Feel”) in 1998. Two years later she released, “Tak Ingin Lagi” (“Don’t Want It Anymore”). Both albums showed her ability to blend pop with her R ’n’ B roots. In the late 90s she began hosting TV shows such as the music program “Clear Top 10,” as well as local TV shows such as “Lupus” (the name of a famous 80s book and movie character) in 1999, and “Aku Cinta Kamu” (“I Love You”) in 2002. She has also starred in TV advertisements.

More recently, Dewi released “Kuakui” (“I Admit”) in 2004, and “Star” in 2007. For these she incorporated traditional Balinese and Javanese sounds in the songs.

In 2008, she was a presenter on “Indonesian Idol.” She also began starring in movies, including “XL” and “Antara Aku, Kau, dan Mak Erot” (“Between You, Me and Mak Erot”).

Her personal life has also come under the spotlight. She married actor Surya Saputra in 2000, but they separated in 2004, divorcing in 2005. In 2006, she married singer Glen Fredly in a controversial wedding as the two came from different religious backgrounds. They divorced in March this year.

Throughout her career, Dewi has won several awards, including “Best Female Artist” at the Panasonic Award for four consecutive years (1999 to 2003), “FHM Sexiest Female Artist” in 2004, and an AMI (Indonesian Music Gift) Award in 2001 for the best R ’n’ B album.


Wanita
Dewi Sandra
Universal Music Indonesia 2009