Song of the Day: Welcome Home by Radical Face

Today's song of the day awakens a strong sense of nostalgia in me. In addition, my my family and I listened to this song on repeat throughout the summer the summer before I left for college. As the summer drew to an end I began to become rather weepy every time I heard the song. It is the kind of track that makes you yearn for a memory that you have yet to experience (I know I am not the only who has that experience). Sit back, relax and enjoy.

Back-To-School Wish List (ASOS edition)

We are almost at the end of July, which means the end of summer break is fast approaching. It is time to begin preparing for the school year. This means back-to-school shopping! ASOS.com has become one of my go-to online stores this summer and I have been spent quite a bit of time drooling over some the scrumptious (yes, scrumptious) pieces they're offering this season. I thought I'd share part of my ASOS wishlist:)

What's on your back-to-school wishlist?

Song of the Day: Retrograde by James Blake

Today's song of the day is most none other than Retrograde by British artist James Blake. I know, know, I am super late on the James Blake bandwagon. Better late than never, right? This is one of those pieces of music that has left me pondering how the musician came up with the beats,with the lyrics. I can't help but wonder what event or emotion compelled Blaked to create this amazing song. This song has been on repeat on at my house this summer, my sister and I just can't get enough of it. I am itching to create some choreography to match the intricate beats and flows with Blake's soft and soothing beats. 

You better believe this gentleman will be getting an artist post of his own very soon. 

Artist on my Mind: Laura Mvula

My homeland (well, one of them, anyway), the United Kingdom seems to really be upping its game with regards to music. In the past few years, the Isles haves brought forward some amazing voices such as Adele, Lianne La Havas, Ellie Goulding and many more. I posted about English singer Lianne La Havas earlier.

Another incredibly talented English lady by the name of Laura Mvula was brought to my attention by a former classmate earlier this year. Mvula appears to be a rather gentle lady in spirit, but is a musical force to be reckoned with, no doubt about that. Every now and then, a musical act comes along that makes you think "This is going to be a classic. I will still be listening to this when I am 80." Mvula is definitely one of those rare musicians. 

My mum always says that when you can you can listen to an album from start to finish, you know the artist and the music they are producing are here to stay. Mvula's debut album, "Sing to the Moon", is quality from the first track and to the last note. When I was first introduced to Mvula and "Sing to the Moon", I was completely taken and listened to it exclusively (non-stop) for a week or so. The music was so compelling that I found it hard to be musically satiated by anything else for quite some time. 

The first song I heard by Mvula was her first single, "That's Alright". This song is the full-package: it has an incredibly intricate, powerful, enjoyable and memorable beat, but also has poignant and meaningful lyrics that linger on the listener's psyche and excite the senses. 

"I will never be what you want and that’s alright,
Cause my skin ain’t light and my body ain’t tight.
And that’s alright.
But if I might, I must stand and fight."

Mvula delivers this vivid and strong message with soulful, velvet-smooth vocals that will leave you hitting the repeat button again and again. The video is also absolutely stunning. From her outfits and makeup, to the dancers, to subtle symbols and metaphors; it is beautifully made. 

It's hard to choose which of her songs and videos to put on here. I quite literally want to post all her songs and videos, but I decided to try and practice some self-control and limit myself to four in this post. The second one song I'll share is called "She" and it has the most subtly spectacular melody and choral arrangement. The music video is also incredibly touching.

And then there's "Green Garden", which is a light, happy summer tune that has been featuring quite heavily on my summer playlist. The composition of this video is to die for, in my opinion. C'mon, look at those bubbly dancers and dashing drummers!

Mvula is a stunning woman and has style to boot. She wears beautiful outfits with a colour-scheme that includes a lot of neutrals such as ivory shades, blacks and browns that complement the tone of her skin. She masters the act of looking eye-catching and sexy without resorting to overly revealing clothing choices. Mvula is a class act. 

One major draw for me is the fact that Mvula wears a shaved hairstyle. I think as women we often place far too much emphasis on our hair, attributing to it the bulk of our femininity and looks. She is the classic example that while long hair is attractive and most a definitely feminine feature in its own right, it is not the fountain from which all femininity and beauty flow. I would dare anyone to argue that Mvula does not look both womanly and attractive with her choice of hairstyle. It also allows her to play more with her make-up, accessories and clothing and contributes greatly to the uniqueness of her musical persona. I may be gushing a little bit too much, but I am a really big fan of this lady. 

Images: Google and the Laura Mvula Facebook fanpage

Wanderlust ...: San Francisco, USA

I still remember the first time I saw San Francisco. I think I was about five or six years old, watching George of the Jungle in my Grandma's room. When George leaves the jungle to find and woo his love interest, Ursula, he heads to the city of San Francisco where she lives. Upon George's arrival in the City by the Bay, there is this wide view of this city with beautiful buildings, incredibly steep hills and long winding roads. It was love at first sight and obsession has lingered to this day.  I have to yet to visit the city of my dreams, but it is at the very top of my list of places in the United States that I would like to visit. It is a MAJOR wanderlust destination!

Aah, the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge! For some reason, I have always pictured myself driving into San Francisco with my sister by way of the Golden Gate in a convertible Volkswagen Beetle (Hollywood much?) while Roy Orbison's "You Got It" blares from the sound system. 

You cannot go to San Francisco without stopping by the Painted Sisters ...

Or taking a ride on the city's gorgeous light rails ...

Or enjoying a cozy picnic at Dolores Park (those who know me well know that I love a good picnic, especially at night). Even Buzzfeed.com loves Dolores Park: http://www.buzzfeed.com/benandjerrys/reasons-to-love-dolores-park

Or take a car ride (or rollercoaster ride, depending on how you look at it) on some of the cities wonderfully steep and winding roads. Exhibit A, Lombard Street: 

I do hope that I will find myself in this beautiful city very soon and I will definitely be sure to wear som flowers in my hair! (Ger it?! :D)

Images: Google

Wanderlust ...: Goree, Senegal

The travel bug tends to hit at the worst of times. Like right after a vacation ends or in the middle of the school term. I suddenly feel an intense urge to hop on a plane and journey to some land unknown to me. Unfortunately, the logistics of life makes it such that I cannot always physically give into these travel urges. I have found that one way to satiate my wanderlust (or at least temporarily suppress) is to find visuals of distant lands, and just take a moment to dream myself away.

One place I long to visit is Senegal's Gorée Island.

I means, just look at that! It is gorgeous.

Images: Google

Artist on my mind: The Robert Glasper Experiment

I haven't posted in a bagillion years, but it is spring break and I am done with midterms. What better way to celebrate than with an artist review?

 I consider myself a recovering music-Nazi, i.e. I once used to frown upon most types of mainstream music and complained constantly about the deficit of genuine beats and good song-writing "these days". Yup, I was one of those people. Looking back, I think that was unfortunate, because they are many incredibly talented and skillfull instrumentalists and song-writers. You just have to keep an open mind (and ear, of course) in order to come across them.

Every now and then, you come across music that just rocks your world. If you enjoy classic jazz piano infused with elements of 90s grunge, earlymillenium R'n'B, West African Drums, then I am 100% certain that you will LOVE The Robert Glasper Experiment. In fact, so confident am I in the prowess of this band, that  I challenge anyone who hears The Robert Glasper Experiment to remain unmoved. They will rock your socks. On their newest album Black Radio, they collaborate with a number amazing artists (Erykah Badu and Lalah Hathaway are among them!).

They group was started by jazz pianist an hip hop producer Robert Glasper. Dude is amaze-balls!

I am not able to find the name of the band members. However the guys below is my favourite. His name is Casey Benjamin, he has an amazing style and he sings the vocals on my favourite of their songs. Let me not lie, I have a bit of a crush on this guy.

Did I mention that he is multi-instrumentalist? And he has a kick-ass beard!

This is one my fave songs by them. It is a cover of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" with Casey Benjamin on vocals.

Isn't that awesome? I also love their cover of Mongo Santamaria and Abbey Lincoln's "Afro Blue" with Erykah Badu on vocals.

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

Images: Google 

MLK Day Musings

I am not American, nor did I grow up on US soil. For this reason, growing up Martin Luther King Day was not a national holiday where I grew up. My family usually followed an Oprah special or something of the like, to commemorate the day. This day has come to mean a lot to me now that I am living in the United States. In particular after my mother shared a viewpoint that I had not given much thought. Because I am not American, I do not always fully appreciate the extent to which I have benefitted from the civil rights movement. My Mum pointed out that Africans and coloured people all over the world have benefitted greatly from the struggles of those who fought in the US Civil Rights Movement. She used the exampe of Rosa Parks, which really stuck with me. I take the bus all the time, and have never given much thought to where I plant my toosh.

Since having this convo with my Mama, I can help but wonder: What would my life be like at my college campus today, if forty-fifty years the, Rosa Parks's and MLKs had not stepped up to the plate?

Afro Blue

"Dream of a land my soul is from

I hear a hand stroke on a drum
Shades of delight, cocoa hue
Rich as the night afro blue

Elegant boy, beautifil girl
Dancing for joy elegant whirl
Shades of delight, cocoa hue
Rich as the night afro blue

Two young lovers dance face to face
With undulating grace
They gently sway, then slip away
To some secluded place

Shades of delight, cocoa hue
Rich as the night afro blue

Whispering trees, echo their sighs
Passionate pleas, tender replies
Shades of delight, cocoa hue
Rich as the night afro blue

Lovers in flight upward they glide
Burst at the height slowly subside
Shades of delight, cocoa hue
Rich as the night afro blue

And my slumbering fantasy assumes reality
Until it seems it's not a dream for two for you and me

Shades of delight, cocoa hue
Rich as the night afro blue"

- Lyrics by Oscar Brown Jr. and melody by Mongo Santamaria

Dayum, dat song. 

Image: Africlectic Magazine

Artist on my mind: Lianne La Havas

This past summer, I found myself in a bit of music rut. The tracks in my music library were becoming rather repetitive. I needed something fresh, something that would excite my senses. While browsing the interwebz, looking for new tunes to groove to, I discovered British artist Lianne La Havas, and have since been involved in a torrid musical love affair with this folk/soul/jazz singer's sound.

I once heard someone say that a person's name can denote stardom, and Lianne La Havas is certainly one of those names.  A little bit of drama and a little a bit of alliteration, what more can you ask for? La Havas also stunningly beautiful, and has a unique clothing style that compliments her physicality. I quite like that  La Havas embraces her curves and dresses to exentuate  rather than hide them. She also dresses in manner that is tasteful, an unusual trait for a female musician these days.

Sometimes, when a singer labours to bring out notes, it subtracts from the beauty of their art. La Havas sings with an effortlessness that makes listening to her music an extra treat.  Her range is also rather impressive. In her song "Empty", she moves between a deep alto voice and a high soprano with an ease that is quite remarkable.

La Havas is a gifted songwriter and guitar-player, who composes her own music does her own arrangements, another increasingly rare quality in music these days. Her personal connection to her music is evident, as she deliver each note with great emotion.  In "No Room For Doubt", she collaborates with Willy Mason (he'll need a feature of his own soon!) to smoothly fuse folk guitar arrangements with soulful vocals to create quite the refreshing musical experience.

She has been quite popular in Britain and Europe for some time, and is increasingly gaining a following in the US. I have strong feeling that the coming year will be one of great commercial success for her. Let's keep our fingers crossed  that in the midst of all this, she maintains her unique artistic aesthetic and does not sell out.

Images: Google and the Lianne La Havas Facebook fanpage