I watched this incredibly classy, beautiful young woman on PBS last night while trying to get away from the show-all-your-naked-ass, patriarchal and sex-driven, superficial "entertainment" (and I use that word lightly) usually offered up by network TV today -- and exhaled.
I'm absolutely in love with this daughter of a Zambian father and British mother -- born and raised in Scotland!
Let's be clear -- I could give two shits about Beyonce allegedly shearing her locks (do we even know they were actually her locks, or those she bought for effect? I'm just sayin'). IMHO, she's got nothing on the young, beautiful, tastetful, respectful of her elders (no alleged owl costume for her, even as she stands in the individuality of her tats!) and socially conscious, Ms. Sandé who is certainly, globally -- of the diaspora. She's who I thought WE would be after hundreds of years of slavery and Jim Crow (seems her audience is on that same page, even as the majority of her back-up singers and musicians reflect her African heritage)...
I watched her earlier this year on Tavis Smiley's show and thought to myself, "This is how that whole integration thing should have played itself out -- that the progeny of such a union would see, hear and feel -- "the truth." Then, I bought everything of hers on iTunes that I could. Please do enjoy the profound beauty of this young Sister why don't you...
I think Labrinth will definitely be giving John Legend a run for his money, literally -- no?
How many of us have Best Friends "who keep our head above the water?"
"If you're too big to follow rivers, how you ever gonna find the sea?" Lawd ha' mercy, this child is such an old soul (I hear Nina whispering)!!
'Tis not that bullshit "Hope," dribbling from the Changeling's lips on the regular that's for damned sure! She makes me proud.
8 comments:
Oh yes...indeed! Thanks for sharing this as well!
Sis, this young woman is something else! Everything she wore during that concert was so tasteful. She let her voice be the attraction -- as it should be. I'm old it's true, but I don't think that's why most of this new generation of performers gets on my nerves. I'm just tired of being bombarded by their need to display their hyper-sexuality. Seems some of their Mamas never taught them that less is much more sensual.
And she sings about shit that matters, something sorely lacking in lyrics I hear these days.
Anyway, glad you enjoyed it! :-D
I agree with you about many of the artists today. It seems like the divas of color with diaspora heritage backgrounds are raising the bar on music, vocalizing and class these days. My daughter introduced me to Goapele. Her songs 'First Love' and 'For Love" are nice. Her father is South African and her mother, Jewish. Esperanza Spalding's father is African American and her mother is Welsh. Some of their 'stuff' is described as neo-soul and neo-jazz. Thank God that all our youngins aren't out there showing and shaking their butts with absurd and foolish lyrics.
Peace....
Thank you for this. The first time I say Emeli Sande I caught She and Labrinth in the middle of the song Your Beautiful and she really impressed me. I had to search and search until I found her name. She is very impressive, not taking away anything from brotha Labrinth.
These are two of my favorite female MC's from right out of the East Coast USA that uphold dignity not only in their styles but lyrically as well.
Sa Roc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBaDqpbckZc
Nairubi Selah who is also a school teacher in New Jersey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxUGjuPQ4A8
Yes...Emeli is definitely breathtaking in terms of vocal styling, lyricism (?) and musicianship. I look forward to seeing her upcoming performance in b'more in oct. She is still so very young....impressed.
@Sis Carolyn..."It seems like the divas of color with diaspora heritage backgrounds are raising the bar on music, vocalizing and class these days."
And I agree with you on that! Thanks so much for the heads-up on these two younguns'. Checked them out on Youtube -- just beautiful. I'll be a buying up their shit too! :-)
@Amenta...Hey man! How are you? Thank you for the links too! Where's Sa-roc from? In the link, she's rappin' about "speakin' Wolof in the car -- Na nga def?.." "Na nga def" ("Hello" or "How are you?") was the first Wolof word I learned in The Gambia three years ago! I like her, as I do Narubi Selah.
I don't know brother, these ladies may live on the East Coast USA, but there's definitely some non-Western-born and bred influences in their lives. Will check out more of their stuff as well.
@jblu74...Hey! How you been?? I have o say ditto to all your comments! I didn't even know she was going to be in b'more soon! Who knows? Come September, I'm considering myself a "floater," I could very well drop in for that! ;-)
Peace Family...
Peace queen Deb, I'm well and you?
Nairubi Selah is from New Jersey and Sa Roc hails from D.C., I think from the Anacostia (I think that's the correct name) district. She learned the language in a rites of passage type thing she participated in as a yougster. I originally thought she was from an African country until I saw here speaking on her youth and how she grew up.
No matter their heritage, the music Espanraza Spalding, Labrinth, or Emeli Sande produce is based on Black American Blues it's daughters Jazz, Soul and R & B
Peace!
Amenta...I'm well. Yes, Anacostia is correct. It's in SE DC. When I graduated from college I moved there (following my knucklehead boyfriend) -- first "big city" I'd ever lived in! :-) It's changed quite a bit since then with all the gentrification going on. Understandable she learned it during a rites of passage ceremony up there. There are plenty Africans and Black Americans who practice African traditional religions in DC. When I heard it on the video, I just appreciated sharing that African link with a youngun! :-)
"No matter their heritage..."
Well you know we've agreed to disagree on the heritage thing, because I believe Africa's in all of us, as such whether based on Black American Blues, Jazz, Soul, or R&B, the same "river runs though it" for me.
Peace...
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