Tunes Tuesday: Somi- The Lagos Music Salon

Photo from Somi's official website: http://www.somimusic.com

Get to know Somi, an American jazz artist of African descent with a beautiful voice and even more beautiful stories to tell.  Somi's music is a recent discovery to me, which I found based on a retweet of NPR's Song Travels series this past weekend.  It was a cloudy, Sunday morning and so I decided to listen to the hour long session between Somi and award-winning musician and host Michael Feinstein.  What a treat to my ears!  I truly appreciated hearing about Somi's life experiences, being American yet still very much directly connected to the African diaspora.  How she takes her life experiences and translates them into song, sharing the joys and lows and everything in between.   I was really captivated by her song Last Song (performance video below) because the idea of how one is remembered connects directly.  Her most recent album, The Lagos Music Salon released last year recounts Somi's 18 month stay in Lagos highlighting the culture, the surroundings, and the very essence of Lagos.

The Last Song (Special Performance)



As a young woman of African descent, The Lagos Music Salon captures the diversity and soul that I imagine the continent to possess and I look forward to the day when I'm able to visit beautiful countries of the motherland.  As a music lover, I respect good music and am excited to get versed in her previous work.  If you like melodic and soulful voices, Somi fulfills that.  If you like lyrics that provoke thought and make you feel, Somi's got it.  Don't delay, head to iTunes or Amazon for a taste of audio beauty as we know it!  If you have the opportunity to see her perform live, take advantage.  It turns out I just missed her in my city a couple of days prior to this review.  You best believe I will be watching for the next time she is in my city!

Beautiful track with Somi featuring Common- When Rivers Cry

 

Fun facts:

• Birthplace: Champaign, IL
• Roots: Rwanda and Uganda (Africa)
• Other places lived: Zambia and Lagos, Nigeria
• Languages: English (fluent), French (proficient), Russian, Spanish, and Swahili
• When writing music, Somi writes in English and Swahili
• Education: University of Illinois (undergraduate); New York University (master's degree)

Ginger Me Slowly- Somi (The Lagos Music Salon- 2014)

Discography:
Eternal Motive (2003)
Red Soil in My Eyes (2007)
If The Rain Comes First (2009)
Somi: Live at Jazz Standard (2011)
The Lagos Music Salon (2014)

Take a listen to Somi's excellent interview with Michael Feinstein and in-studio performances of tracks from her on NPR's Song Travels here: http://www.npr.org/2015/03/13/392763167/somi-on-song-travels 



Follow Somi on social media!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/somimusic 
Twitter: @SomiMusic
Instagram: https://instagram.com/somimusic/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/somiVEVO
Official website: www.somimusic.com

Tunes Tuesday: Strunz and Farah

Happy Tuesday!

Strunz & Farah

You know what that means right?  It's time for another installment of Tunes Tuesday!  I've been really feeling the travel bug lately, which is unsurprising because in the last 6 months, I've gone abroad twice (December and March).  This means I should be going again this month, right?!  If only! LOL

Since I can't do that, the next best things are cuisine, good beverages, and music.  Music fuels my soul!  It's been a hectic time at work and for my daily escape, I like to plug in and energize with Pandora.  I like a diverse set of music but for the moments requiring concentration and calm, I turn to my jazz stations.  Marc Antoine, Wayman Tisdale, Peter White are all staples and a few months back, I discovered an excellent jazz guitarist duo by the name of Strunz and Farah.  Now even though I'm years late in my discovery, Strunz and Farah have been making beautiful music for DECADES!  Jorge Strunz hails from Costa Rica and Ardeshir Farah hails from Iran. Latin America meets the Middle East.  A really diverse blend, right? Does that make me an instant fan? Yes and yes!  We, as listeners, definitely benefit from their backgrounds. Don't believe me?  Watch and listen to the musical majesty for yourself:

   

I absolutely adore this song! 

 

I would love to see these artists play live!  Where there is a will and a way, there lies success :-)  Until then, thank you to Strunz & Farah for the beautiful music and to the uploaders of YouTube for the videos!

Learn more about Strunz & Farah:

Official website: http://www.strunzandfarah.com/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/strunzandfarah 

Ice Cream Everyday: How Sweet It Is!

Tuesday is the day that new music is released in the U.S., so I’ve decided to make this a day that I spotlight some good tunes that I enjoy. It likely won’t be a new release, as I like to enjoy some music for a good while before giving it a grade so to speak. 

The spotlight today is on a relatively new release from my girl Amel Larrieux. I ADORE Amel and musically, she can’t steer me wrong. I’ve been a massive fan since ‘95 and the Groove Theory duo days (90s R&B was some of THE best) and her previous solo albums (Infinite Possibilities, Bravebird, Morning, Lovely Standards) and every other musical release or collaboration she’s been a part of.  She is like musical poetry, singing about the news, the blues, and simply: LIFE.  Her album Infinite Possibilities still remains my soul's "perspective soundtrack" to this day. Fast forward to now and her latest album “Ice Cream Everyday” is out in all formats now and I’d say you definitely should check it out! If you want an album that you can just play all the way through while you’re working, chilling, driving, whatever, this is it!

Lead single “Afraid” is just too cool. Detailing the rush of emotions you feel when you first meet someone and feel that butterflies-i think i’m in love-i see nobody but us- feeling, this song is beautifully crafted whether you are in love, out of love, or in-between. It’s mid-tempo and certainly has that soulful Adult Contemporary vibe. “Wherever you are is wherever I have to be..” I know I’ve definitely felt that feeling before. Ahh, the memories ;-) Check it out here:

 

Also included in my top 5 favorite tracks (it was tough to pick a top 5):

You Don’t See Me (words can not describe how much I love this song!!! Can we say my love life? Ha!)

 

Moment to Reflect (if only we all did that before acting/reacting)

Ur the Shhh

A Million Sapphires
I Do Take (that unconditional love...yes!)

Don't Let Me Down (I know that's 7 songs but technically this was a single before the album release and really how I feel...so listen up gentlemen!)

 

 

Lyrically, I love that Amel just sings about life! Whether it’s love in all it’s forms or experiences that comprise our lives, perspectives, and being, the messages are relatable and truly about life. Amel and her team capture it all so beautifully. Oh and that voice and delivery! So sweet yet powerful and poetic!

Records are hot but Amel herself is simply incredible LIVE! She is such an engaging artist and musician and she fully allows the audience to see her personality, which is so awesomely cool by the way. I’ve had the opportunity to see her live and can definitely attest. It’s a true musically experience. Amel, you’re the truth! She’s on tour now, so if you’ve got the opportunity, definitely check her out! For my DC lovebirds, she will be at The Howard Theater on Friday, February 14 for two shows!

Here’s a throwback photo when I attended a show almost 4 years ago and I got to meet this very beautiful lady. Sidebar: I can’t believe it’s been that long.  Don't laugh at my attire.  Shout out to the early days of my natural hair journey/transitioning phase! 

2010 in VA!  I had a blast and Amel was so kind to take this photo with me :-)

Much love, respect, and blessings to Amel, her family and Team Blisslife!

Get connected with Amel here:
Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/amellarrieux
Twitter: @amellarrieux
Team Blisslife on Twitter: Team BlissLife

2013- Ice Cream Every Day

2007- Lovely Standards

2006- Morning

2004- Bravebird

2000- Infinite Possibilities