Acoustic Soul

An acoustic hip-hop album? Yup, that’s what we got, or very nearly, as this young singer/songwriter uses R ‘n’ B rhythms coupled with jazz infused guitars to produce a hip swaying but delightfully intimate collection. The overall sound is pretty much what you’d get if Suzanne Vega was black and a big Destiny’s Child fan, but what makes this special is the quality of the singer’s voice and the exceedingly well crafted lyrics. “Leaves blowin’ in the breeze ring out like guitars/A tin can rolls across the grotto like a tambourine” she sings on ‘Always In My Head’ and on the lead single ‘Video’ she demonstrates a confident sassiness and a refusal to comply to an MTV stereotype. “Sometimes I shave my legs and sometimes I don’t/Sometimes I comb my hair and sometimes I won’t/It really just depends on whatever feels good in my soul/I’m not the average girl from your video”.

As well as intelligent lyrics and music that soothes and caresses, India.Arie is also aware of her musical history, which seems appropriate for a Motown artist, somehow. The album’s intro track namechecks Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Donny Hathaway, while on ‘Interlude’ she weaves the names of greats like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Bessie Smith and Minnie Ripperton into a tune that does them due justice, no mean feat. Incidentally, I predict her soundtracking a Spike Lee film, and remember, I was right about Moby and Kelis…