Orbé Orbé 

Invisible Kingdoms

orbe-orbe.com

Midway through “Circus Star,” Cristina Orbé cuts to the chase: “I’m done waiting.” It’s a straightforward sentiment plenty of singers have spun into straightforward songs, but Orbé knows life is much more complicated—and colorful. So does Jahon Mikal, the producer she’s partnered with for this, the latest bullet point on an artistic resume that already includes soul-folk singer and spoken-word poetess. The Seattle-based New York native has found in Mikal a multi-instrumentalist studio wiz willing to space out with synths, turn up the fuzz on his guitar, and set circus waltzes to hip-hop beats. There’s playfulness in the pinging between twee-pop, hip-hop and futuristic R&B, and that brings Orbé’s emotional honesty into sharper focus.