Artist Spotlight- Lalah Hathaway
Don’t call her Neo-Soul, cause she was dropping surefire classics, long before that term ever existed. As one of the original Daughters of Soul, Lalah Hathaway didn’t merely adopt the genre from influences heard on TV and radio; she was born, baptized, and raised in the aura and glow of real SOUL music….as it was long before it ever came back around again and was re-introduced as “Neo.”
Undoubtedly one of the baddest, most underrated voices of her generation, the richness of Lalah’s tone- as well as the way she attacks each note with equal parts depth, grace and power- matches that of her father almost exactly. But just because she won 2 of the most coveted Grammys in her genre this year, don’t act like her music is a new phenomenon. She has been consistently putting out stellar quality music for the last 27…..Count it off, Twenty-Seven Years! How many other artists can you name that are still receiving top awards and accolades almost 3 decades into their career? What is even more amazing is that in almost 3 decades time, her voice hasn’t wavered or faltered an inch; but if anything has only aged like a fine wine- just getting better with time.
To truly understand the depth of Lalah’s vocal prowess, you must first know and understand the powerhouse that was her father, Donny Hathaway. A legend in his own time, Donny set the playbook by which all other male vocalists that came after him, would be sure to follow. His influence can be heard in the likes of Musiq Soulchild to John Legend to Raheem Devaughn. In his prime, there weren’t too many male R&B singers that could really compete with him. Fast forward 11 years after his untimely death, and here comes Lalah out the gate with gems like “Heaven Knows” & “I’m Coming Back” (a personal favorite of mine), providing the much-needed tone and feel that R&B music was missing at that point in time. Another notable fact is that at the time of her debut album in 1990, at all of 22 years old, her voice and intonation already matched that of her father’s almost identically. She essentially sounded like a female version of him. So much so, that even to this day, she stands out as the only person who can accurately do her father’s music any justice. They’re both just THAT good.
Ms. Hathaway is the embodiment of “Black Girl Magic.” When she sings, it represents the power and emotion in each one of us. There’s something about her velvet rich alto voice that just touches your soul. I always refer to her voice being like a “warm blanket that wraps around you on a cold winter’s day.” That’s just how she approaches each and every note. Her continued success and accolades, despite the changing tide of the music industry- is proof that while no longer considered “mainstream,” Soul Music is still very much a powerful force to be reckoned within the hearts and minds of its listeners.
