“Forget”: Lianne La Havas A La Mode IS The Soul
Lianne La Havas was brought to my attention a few weeks ago by my friend Adam Bravin, who some of you might know as DJ Adam 12. For obvious reasons, Adam is my most credible friend when it comes to anything music, so I don’t hesitate to utilize his taste to my advantage. Recently, I came to him requesting new female vocalists for my iTunes collection, which had been growing recognizably deprived in that region. He responded with a name I had not yet heard, “Lianne La Havas”, claiming her talent to match the caliber of a Lauryn Hill or Erykah Badu type. The thought was hard to fathom, but deemed me both hesitant and intrigued nonetheless. Together, Adam and I sat in the car and alas, the “play” button was pressed. A cute British voice scratched over the speakers, uttering a few funny lines for the audience before a fervent outpouring into song. Soon enough, our confined space was encompassed by volumes of greatness and vocal chords with weight that struck their listener internally to the core: Lianne La Havas a la mode…
….Her voice, the gritty soulfulness, the way she so wispily picked the strings of her guitar, was all so very entrancing. The track was called “Forget”, “a hate song…that [showed] a different side of [her] temper.” This London, England native possessed the soul of Erykah Badu with the lyricism of a 90’s Lauryn Hill and the brawn of Adele with the estrogen levels of Alanis Morissette. All the while, the track was glossed with the delicate nature of she, Lianne herself, to balance out the perfect feminine resonance. As its narrator puts forth an energy and presence essential within the female Soul genre today, “Forget” is articulate in a profound kind of way. That said, I will let the music speak for itself. From Adam to myself, from myself to you, I leave you with Lianne La Havas and the track that continues to reverberate through my speakers: “Forget”.
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