India.Arie emerges as powerful new R&B force
By ARIENNE THOMPSON
Scene Music Critic
Commonly thought to be reserved for white rock artists, like Sheryl Crow, or old blues singers, like B.B. King, the guitar has been an instrument largely ignored by black artists in the genre of modern rhythm and blues and neo-soul. With the exceptions of Brian McKnight, Tony Rich, Raphael Saadiq and a handful of others, the guitar has not traditionally been embraced as a focal instrument in R & B recording. However, with her debut album Acoustic Soul, India.Arie manages to display the potential of the guitar as an essential element of neo-soul.
In the late '90s India.Arie and her band Groovement formed an independent label and released an album with some of her early songs. Soon after, she had a spot on Sarah McLachlan's quietly successful Lilith Fair tour in 1998 and was courted by several major labels. Later signing with Motown, India.Arie released Acoustic Soul in late March with very little recognition.
Nonetheless, the quirky, simple video for her first single, "Video," has garnered national attention and made her "buzzworthy" on BET and MTV alike. On the track, she sings of being the antithesis of the supermodels and booty-shakers seen with alarming constancy on the same television stations that have generated her early success. Such honesty and self-awareness are what make Acoustic Soul such a gem among the common.
The album thrives on India.Arie's husky voice and self-conscious lyrics, while successfully incorporating her full range of skills on the guitar. She sings of love, loss, beauty and God with an intensity usually withheld for the more seasoned artist. She fits the bill of the average neo-soul artist, but has a freshness that does not peg her into the realm of triteness.
With songs like "Strength, Courage, & Wisdom" and "Ready For Love," India.Arie showcases her strong voice and song writing skills. The latter is infused with the waning and waxing of a single cello while she makes her most soulful attempt on the record.
Other songs like "Back to the Middle" and "Part of My Life" don't add much to the total composition, but do provide an opportunity for the guitar's presence to be fully recognized and appreciated.
Fortunately, the pleasantly funky "Brown Skin," in which India.Arie claims "Brown skin you know I love your brown skin/ I can't tell where yours begins I can't tell where mine ends," compensates for any of the album's minor blunders. Her voice low and smooth, India.Arie professes a love for pigmentation and creates the vivid, lush images that great songs are made of. The song is reminiscent of the vibe present on D'Angelo's debut release Brown Sugar and proves that India.Arie deserves a position among those artists of neo-classic soul.
Though she lacks the hard funk of Me'Shell NdegeOcello and the quiet soul of Tracy Chapman, India.Arie is well on her way to becoming a champion of her genre. Acoustic Soul is a squirt of flavor in the occasionally repetitive field of mushy love songs and shallow thought. India.Arie, it seems, is restricted by nothing: she is lyrically and musically sound, proving her artistic prowess and potential longevity.
All Scene Stories for Tuesday, April 10, 2001
