C’mon ladies (and maybe even some men, too) I know ya’ll know what I’m talking about. I’m sure at one point or another, we’ve all been there. The charmer, the flatterer, the sweet talker. It’s oh-so-hard to say no to an individual like this especially when every part of you is begging to say yes. You know the person is no good for you, but you just can’t stop. Hope you enjoy the song!
If I Told You That A Flower Bloomed In A Dark Room/Would You Trust It?/ I Mean I Write Poems In These Songs Dedicated To You. -Elli Ingram/Kendrick Lamar
Normally, I’m not the person that goes for too many covers of popular songs. Why? I like the way the original artist sang the song in the original way it was meant to be sung. This cover however, caught my eye (ear). As of recently, I’ve really fallen in love the song “Poetic Justice” by Kendrick Lamar feat. Drake. This is one of the singles off of Kendrick’s album Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. Which (if ya don’t know now ya know) samples Janet Jackson’s “Anytime, Anyplace.” And Janet Jackson also starred in the movie “Poetic Justice.” Just trying to drop some knowledge to the people who might not know some of the history.
Now, back to the topic, I hope you enjoy this cover and visuals of Poetic Justice as much as I do!
She’s Love/She’s Truth/She’s Real/As Real As The Stars That Shine In The Heavens/As Real As The Sun That Bathes Her Body — Dead Prez
Falling in love is easy. The other person does all the right things and suddenly, without even noticing, you’ve fallen in love. Staying in love is the tricky part. How do you work through your differences while staying in love with the person? How do you make compromises when every bit of you is telling you not to…but still, you do it anyways? How do you love somebody from afar when they need space? Last night, I found myself in an awkward situation of love. A family came into the restaurant where I work and sat in my section. I went to their table to take their order and the communication between the husband and the wife just wasn’t there. The wife made a suggestion about the meal, and the husband turned down the suggestion and no less than thirty seconds later…the husband made the exact same suggestion. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and yet I was frozen, not knowing what to say or do next. After a small outburst from the wife towards the husband and a few passive aggressive comments exchanged between them, I was finally able to finish taking their order. How are they going to stay in love?
Now, you’re probably wondering what does all of that have to do with music? For music and I, falling in love was easy and therefore staying in love has been even easier. There are no tricks, no obstacles, and no difficulties. Don’t believe in love at first sight? I dare you to take one good and hard look at Lianne La Havas. And when I say look, I really mean listen (even though, in the physical sense, she is beautiful.) Way back when, I promised you this post on Lianne La Havas. It’s been a long long time coming, but we’re finally here.
I’ve been listening to Lianne La Havas since October of 2011. When I first laid eyes on her, she actually reminded me of an elementary school friend named Grace. Lianne is so unique, stylish and classy. But that voice of hers, is truly something else. It is raspy at times but always so clear, crisp and cleansing. Lyrically, you can tell she has been through some sh*t. And haven’t we all? I know I have. Lyricism is what grabs me and moves me. A lot of times people (myself, included) justify their choice in music by saying “well the beat is good on this song.” But for a song to truly move me, the lyrics must be on point while the beat and melody come second. I can’t make a connection to a beat or a melody, but lyrics are another thing. Hearing somebody sing the words you may have thought a million times — is the truth. Where must one go to find it?
People often like an artist until they see them live. This was the case for me with Lianne La Havas. I liked her and when I saw her live, I loved her. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and yet I was frozen, not knowing what to say or do next. But lucky for me, in this situation of love…I didn’t have to say or do anything next. I could simply be.
So, ladies and gents what I’m really trying to tell you is that Lianne La Havas is the full package. I hope you all take a good hard look and/or listen to her. She is the truth and she is damn good at it.
She is currently on tour — find her in a city near you here! I will be attending both the SF show on March 22nd and the NYC show on April 9th. Please join me to either or both of those shows; I’d love to have you!
Now, on to the music! These are in every shape and form my favorites by her, but keep in mind that all of her songs on my favorites by her. So these are just a few of them. Maybe a few of my favorites can get with your favorites and they can be favorites…shit we can do this every weekend!
First up, we have “Age,” a playful, fun song about dating an older man. There is a music video for this song, but I love this version from the Black Cab Sessions.
“Lost and Found” is one of those sad songs that speaks to me. I’ve gone through my own struggles in life that left me lost…and found.
Here is a live version of “Elusive” from a show in Paris.
Puuuuuuhlease tell me ya’ll remember TQ? What a great “throwback Thursday” post this is. This song used to be my jam! I had the CD single for this and I used to play this joint at least once a day maybe more. This is another tune that I have no idea how I even found it. This song still goes hard too! It happened a lot in my household that I would play a song soooo much that my mom would start liking it — that was the case for this song. Guaranteed if I were to play this song right now she would start jammin to it! I’ve only known one other person that knew and liked this song, too. Shout out to Peter, a buddy of mine from elementary school. Hopefully he’s reading this and smiling to himself. If any of you are diggin this TQ song, I just found out that he has a new single out featuring Mystikal…I think this is a track that will grow on me. Don’t say I never put you on to anything…
Let These Words Be The Colors 