Been working on this baby on and off for a few years now, with help, support, contributions from Zenzile family immediate and extended. Wow. Wrote all of this stuff (lyric) especially for this album…a kind of personal trip. And the melange of music, reflects a fusion of sounds and being. I don’t know what to call it. Leave the branding to PR types.

You can find samples of other tracks on: www.myspace.com/jamikaajalon

"Getting props from the media at large is great, but when I am doing my thing I don't think about how about how it's gonna be received by journalists.    At the end of the day, the moments that make all the sweat and sacrifice I put into making  the work worth it is when some one comes up to me after the show and says "Jamika I really dig what you are doing" whether it's a "fan" or another musician I admire.  I won't ever forget the day "Ras" from Haifa, Isreal found me via messenger and told me how much my words had changed his life! Wow that hit me deeply and I walked around in disbelief for a few days.  That is the real true reward…  better than anything any critic could ever dish out.  So here are few comments that some people who I respect wrote about HBI.  Thanks folks! (the cheque is in the mail:-)

Drop into my forum or myspace or e-mail at jamikamail@gmail.com to tell me what you think/feel about the album.  Peace and Suchness……"
- J

"Helium Balloon Illusions heralds the arrival of a bold soul sister! Both beautiful and frightening – Jamika is bringing a post millennium blues with fuzzed out beats and gutty verses.  With a voice that seduces as it wounds.  This is not easy listening – but it is an essential music – a real ‘soul’ music. The words crept up under me, like a muscle in the air. Listen, listen again…"
- ANTHONY JOSEPH

"Helium Balloon Illusions will float your boat…"
- ELE LOIZIDES

"…transient posse…1 of my favourites...reminds me of being in the chocolate factory with Mr Depp."
- YINKA SOBANDE

"Helium Baloon Illisions is definitely 'it' as far as a representation of Jamika’s variety of interests, professional pursuits and private oscillations go. As a performance artist, video artist, writer of novels and poetry she faces the problem of all multi-talented, multi-tasking artist to be able to concentrate on one genre enough to become really, really good at it. Helium Balloons is the breakthrough. The first song already, Shanti, has a fantastic hook line which won’t leave you alone for the rest of the day if you listen to it in the morning. A number of other songs have a similarly strong hook line which should help the radio playability of the album a lot. Yet at all times HB is millions of years away from the stream lined uniformity that is today’s pop music and even indie and electronic genres. It seems as the walls between different musical styles and sections in society go up rather than down, Jamika breaks through the myth of what an African American musician poetess should sound like. We can’t help noticing a touch of Grace Jones and a Sly slight of hands, at the same time some songs gravitate to the deep end of the blues while others show a pulsating presence of electronic beats mixed with aggressive verve. The unconventional lyrics which are as political as they are personal and poetic, are delivered via a huge spectrum of things she is able to do with her voice, between rapping, talking, singing, spoken word, but always easy and sort of cheeky  in a playful way. Although 'eclectic' maybe describes the range of musical styles used it is all held together by character and authenticity of experience. As JA opens her notebooks and talks about the things she knows best I hope many people will want to join her into this world. I for sure won’t leave the house anymore without a bunch of helium balloon illusions under my hat.  "
- ARMIN MEDOSCH