Tamia Andrea

Get Your Life Back.

Elevation We go through so many changes in this life. There are the good times, when we are in love with life and find fulfillment. During these times, great memories are created that will serve as lifelines in days to come. We go out and enjoy the world, take many pictures to commemorate our enjoyment, and make acquaintance with people who oftentimes become our Siamese twins. Life is grand, and you fall asleep each night with a sense of purpose and contentment.

However, the only thing constant in life is change, which means that unexpected events or circumstances threaten to create a new normal for us at some point in our life. Things happen – people leave, bad decisions are made – and so is the nature of being human. These circumstances may cause us to feel stupid, hopeless, and in some cases, we become severely depressed. We could have short stints of bad karma where our resiliency is stellar, and we are able to bounce out of the depressive funk with quickness. Staying mentally strong is the key to surviving difficult times. When we’ve been in a tough situation for too long and negativity begins to infiltrate our mind and spirit, we start to lose our mental strength and become vulnerable to diminished self-confidence. It is at this point where we could start allowing opinions of others to determine our value. This is a slippery road down to abysmal depression – a place of darkness where we can’t seem to find any sense of joy in the world anymore. If feels like everything was stolen from us – love, happiness, fulfillment. We start to feel like the whole world is against us and could lose our will to live. Those good memories we have stored within our minds are the only miniscule sources of peace we can scrounge up — and then we realize that remembering the good times won’t magically bring them back.

When dealing with the darkest moments of depression, you come to a ‘do or die’ moment. Either you will continue to wallow in self-pity and let despair eat you alive until you have alienated yourself from everyone you love, and allow the darkness to take you out. Or you can pull yourself out of the black hole and take action to regain your vitality.

Here are a few ways to take action to get your life back:

Find something that inspires you.

Start reading books that kindle your imagination or find self-help books that inspire you to do something creative/constructive. I recommend reading “The Alchemist”, by Paulo Coelho. It will spark your imagination and inspire you at the same time.
Listening to inspirational music in the morning or throughout your day could start to retrain your mind to think positive thoughts. Tuning in to an inspirational radio station during your morning commute, or even creating a personalized playlist of songs that inspire you and listening to the music throughout the day or right before you fall asleep could fill your subconscious mind with healthy content to process and eventually manifest better situations in your life.

Start an exercise regime.

We often hear about the benefits of exercise for losing weight and fighting ailments such as diabetes and heart disease, but working out could assist in fighting depression as well. Exercise increases serotonin – a bodily chemical that is known to affect your mood. Studies have shown that aerobic exercises are good for boosting serotonin levels. Go for a brisk walk, a jog in the park, or even head to the gym and sweat it out on the stationary bike and you might start to feel better. However, you will need to be consistent and fight through the urge to sit and sulk on the couch in order to start making progress. Not only will you boost your serotonin levels, you could start to see some desirable physical results or make a great friend while you’re at it. Getting a physical exam at your doctor’s office would be advisable prior to starting your exercise routine. Your doctor might even give you a few tips on changing your diet or suggest some natural supplements to maximize your overall health.

Start a hobby.

Sign up for that cooking class you’ve always wanted to take. Pick up those art utensils and get back to creating masterpieces. Start writing your best-selling novel or start a blog. Tap into your inner creative mastermind and start doing something that brings you joy and takes your mind off your sorrows. You never know, you could end of being a source of inspiration for others. It’s possible that you may even open a door of opportunity for self-employment doing something you actually enjoy.

The most important thing we can do to get our life back is to change our negative thinking patters. Each of the aforementioned suggestions will hopefully nudge you forward on your journey of revival. Also, taking the time to listen to our inner voice can allow us to tap in to the divine wisdom we all inherently possess. This often requires moments of isolation and deep thought – meditation and prayer. Whether or not you believe in a higher power, being pensive and tuning in to your thoughts could reveal ideas that lead you to act on creative projects, or even a career change. We all possess everything we need to succeed, but life becomes hectic and we are too bogged down by society’s expectations to really tune in to our inner wisdom, or intuition. We must take time away from the world, even if just for a few minutes each day, to ponder our purpose for existence. When we know why we’re here – when we are truly awakened – we can move with intent and purpose to leave our mark in the world. And your contribution to humanity makes a difference, even in the grand scheme of things. When you live with intent, you take your life back – with force! By doing so, you most likely inspire others to do so, as well.

Favorite Couples Series Volume 1: Beyoncé & Jay-Z.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z

“All I need in this life of sin, is me and my girlfriend.”

Hip hop royalty — Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been rocking for a decade and a half. In the beginning of their relationship, the dynamic duo was bent on keeping things on the low-low, which made perfect sense at the time. Beyoncé was emerging as a solo artist with a lot to prove & Jay-Z was a well-established rapper with a bad boy persona. Imagine the field day the media could’ve had with their love story back in the early 2000s. There was so much at stake and they made sure to protect their love with a shatter-proof layer of secrecy.

Although they would collaborate in the music studio together, they never really discussed their relationship in the media. Everyone had solid suspicions of their commitment to one another, but Bey & Jay were to remain mum on the subject until they were good & ready to “come out”.

The pregnancy rumors. The rumors of Jay-Z cheating. The rumors of Jay-Z having kids. They moved past it all and eventually tied the knot in a top-secret wedding on April 4, 2008. Jay-Z reportedly dropped $5 million on the wedding ring! But, why wouldn’t he? Beyoncé is worth every dollar – she’s kind of a big deal. Beyoncé could have easily chosen to live her life focused on her career as many other powerful, successful women have chosen to do. Based on the trajectory of her career – from Destiny’s Child to one of the most iconic entertainers to walk this earth – you would think she had no room in her grand scheme to settle down with a family. However, there’s obviously a side to the innovative beauty that values love and family. Her father and mother provided the foundation for family and although their marriage ended in divorce, I’m sure Beyoncé set out to do it bigger and better in her own life.

And who else could tame a roguish guy like Shawn Carter other than Beyoncé? Based on the content of his music and the plethora of women he was attached to back in the day, you would think Jay-Z would not be the marrying type. It’s possible that Bey and Jay were on and off in their relationship for many years as Jay continued to sow his wild oats. In the end, he realized that there is only one Beyoncé on this great, wide earth and letting go of a diamond to go chase cubic zirconia probably started to seem a bit foolish at some point. He held on to his Queen and she fell dangerously in love.

The power couple welcomed their first princess, Blue Ivy, into the world in January 2012 and Beyoncé was officially a mother. Although naysayers would want to say otherwise, she wore pregnancy well and even kept those 6 inch heels on deck. How could someone make pregnancy looks so good? But there was, once again, trouble in paradise when Jay got caught up with “Becky with the good hair.” We heard all about it when Beyoncé released her visual album, Lemonade, in 2016. However, the couple was triumphant in the fight for their marriage and kept it moving past all the infidelity and pain. We even got blessed with a set of twins, Sir Carter and Rumi, afterwards. Jay-Z went on record, literally, to express his remorse and discontent with his actions in his iconic album, 4:44, which was released in 2017 and it’s apparent that he is a changed man after it all.

The two together are worth billions of dollars and we get to witness their grandeur on Beyoncé’s Instagram account when she sporadically updates with her artsy photographs. Beyoncé is in collaboration mode in her music career, recently releasing singles with rapper Eminem, and singer Ed Sheeran. Jay-Z is on tour for his album 4:44 and still making business moves daily. They are raising three beautiful children up in royalty and loving life along the way. The story of Beyoncé and Jay-Z shows us all that love always wins.

Dust to Sidechicks.

“You like nine to five; I’ll keep him satisfied on the weekend…”

A while back, I was entranced with multi-talented artist SZA’s debut album, CTRL, and as I was bopping and popping to the seriously dope album, the world came to a brief halt when the beat dropped on song number six, The Weekend. What? Is this how she’s doing it… bringing the 90s back, and all? The vibe automatically took me back to my high school years when I was crushing on my football player boyfriend — pulling his arms around me tighter to warm the chill of the autumn weather as we sat in his car, seconds away from sucking each other’s faces in. I mean, I was vibing hard to this marvelous song… until… the words hit me.

Wait, what? “My man is her man… her, that’s her man?” Now, these ludicrous lyrics didn’t stop me from loving this song because the beat and melody put me in a mood — but I had to love it low-key because I vehemently denounce SIDECHICKS!

As a woman who has been cheated on a few times in my life, I am not with this new wave of open infidelity, in which people seem to think that it’s OK to have a main bae –and a few thangs on the side, as well. Is nothing sacred anymore?

Apparently not. Half (50%) of American adults are married these days, which may seem like a decent lot until we look back to 1960 when the marriage rate was at 72%. And on top of that, women & men are waiting until closer to 30 to even get hitched. Cohabitation is on the rise while actually getting married seems to be growing less appealing, according to statistics.

I want to attribute this trend to the evolution of the sidepiece. Back in the day, having a little something on the side was kept on the down low. Singer R. Kelly even wrote a song about it, circa 1995. The sidepiece was kept under wraps as expeditiously as possible. The cheater actually feared the demise of their relationship and did everything possible to keep their dirty little secret. Xscape gave us the scoop on their “Little Secret” back in 1998 – “If you don’t tell, I won’t tell, and that’s how we gotta keep it”. R&B group, TLC, also let us know all about creeping back 1994 – the reasoning was due to lack of attention & being cheating on – oh what a tangled web weaved with all that tit-for-tat. Why not just break up? At least they “kept it protected”. Eh.

The big problem: people choose to hang on to cheating partners out of loyalty but end up cheating too, for consolation. The rule becomes “as long as I don’t see it, we’re good”. So then the cell phone becomes guarded like Fort Knox to keep all your sidepiece activity away from your main bae. There is essentially no trust, but she knows that when you disappear on the weekend – giving some bullcrap reason like you need to catch up on sleep or something – that you’re actually chilling with the sidepiece. And she can’t really do anything about it because she’s not going to break up with you, so she just calls up her sidepiece so she won’t spaz out over you from Friday to Sunday.

Celebrities have probably been on the sidepiece agenda forever, but with the advent of social media, this behavior has become normalized and admired by younger fans because it seems bad ass to have several “bad bitches” on your roster that actually know about each other. And when young millennial men take heed and start to openly play the field, for some reason, these young millennial women no longer break it off with the playboy. They don’t even hound the dude about it anymore – these women just go reciprocate. It’s all about being “savage”. Too many mind games and foolish shenanigans. My idea of being savage is cutting that fool off – completely.

What about knowing your worth & building a family unit that is conducive to raising happy, well-adjusted children? No one has to put up with cheating and no one should just settle for being the sidepiece. It seems convenient to have someone who only comes around the couple of days of week you want them to because you are afraid of committing to a real relationship and he just wants a little excitement in his life because he has grown bored with his kids’ mother/live-in girlfriend. We all know he’s not leaving her and their kids, but where does this leave his girlfriend who desires to only be with him? She’s left feeling inferior & lonely because her wayward boyfriend can’t fully commit and you just want a pseudo-relationship that is super convenient? Why is it that people are so afraid of being completely single/alone these days? Get a hobby. Build an empire. Just leave other folks’ main squeezes alone.

Many of us choose to remain absolutely single until this sidepiece trend ceases because, even though there are people out there who actually value the sanctity of fidelity and commitment, they are hard to find because everyone seems so guarded these days. Even so, we should never give up on finding real love. Love is the center of humanity and should be sought above lustful temptation.

Dust to sidepieces.

Marriage statistics: Pew Research Center

New Hotness: Joyner Lucas’ “I’m Not Racist”

Atlantic Records rapper, Joyner Lucas, has ingeniously intertwined viewpoints of White Americans and Black Americans into a single song, I’m Not Racist, which demands listeners to take notice of the skewed viewpoints held in each perspective. Lucas wrote about the two sides of racism which are brilliantly illustrated in a music video, which is currently available for viewing on his YouTube page. The music video is set in an empty room with two males sitting across from each other at a table – one white, wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat upon his head; the other appears as the stereotypical young black millennial. Each guy sits patiently while the other quite bluntly and intensely spews his seemingly racist viewpoint, while intermittently stating “I’m not racist” to soften the blows. Many heavy hitting issues surrounding race are addressed, but in the end, the two men appear to see eye-to-eye and share an embrace. Revolutionary!

Joyner Lucas appeared on the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2015 as a Cypher participant – he had released several mixtapes prior to the BET appearance. His most recent mixtape, “508-507-2209”, was released in June of 2017 and is comprised of 16 songs. I’m Not Racist was released on November 21, 2017 as a single. Watch the video below.

Lil Jon Opens A School In Ghana

Atlanta native, Jonathan Smith, better known as rapper Lil Jon, has raised money to give back in an amazing way. Partnering with the non-profit organization, Pencils of Promise, which was founded in 2008 and has built over 400 schools, Lil Jon opened a primary school in eastern Ghana’s Asuogyaman District.

In an Instagram post, the rapper dedicated the Abomayaw D.A. Kindergarten to the people of the community and his mother, Carrie Smith-Williams, who died from complications of diabetes in 2013. After her death, Lil Jon used his Facebook page to raise awareness of the disease and also used his TV platform to educate the masses on diabetes research programs during his time on Celebrity Apprentice.

In the past, Smith has also raised money for schools in his hometown of Atlanta.

The new Abomayaw school will give children in the Asuogyaman District a safe and stable place to learn.

In addition to being the King of Crunk, it’s safe to say that Lil Jon has earned another title as well: King of Compassion.

3 Actors Whose Vocals Rival Their Thespian Abilities

Rotimi

Most prominently known for his role as the club-managing, drug-moving character, Andre, on Starz Network’s show Power, the Nigerian-American actor is also a formidable crooner. He’s a force to be reckoned with on the small screen, as well as the big screen — starring in such movies as Black Nativity and Divergent, but his vocal skills are not to be undercut. With four mixtapes and an EP under his belt, he’s no newcomer to the music scene. If you’re a Power fan, try listening to Rotimi’s “Want More” & “Baecation” from his a debut EP, Jeep Music Vol. 1 (released in August of 2017), and you’ll [almost] forget how much of a prick his character, Andre, is becoming on the show. All jokes aside, dude’s got major talent – and sex appeal. Try listening to “Anything Goes” from his Royal Wednesday mixtape while simultaneously scrolling down his Instagram page and you might start to view him in a different light, seriously.

Demetria McKinney

Demetria McKinney is widely known for her recovering drug-addict character, Janine, on Tyler Perry’s House of Payne. McKinney appears on the show Saints & Sinners, which airs on Bounce TV as the network’s first original drama, and she has a recurring role on BET’s college drama, The Quad. Demetria takes on the role of the legendary icon, Whitney Houston, in the controversial movie highlighting the life of Houston’s late daughter, Bobbi Kristina, which is set to air on TVOne October 08, 2017 at 7 pm. She also had a short stint on the popular reality show, The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and released a song titled “Unnecessary Trouble”, featuring castmate and fellow vocalist, Kandi Burruss, in late 2015. The song hits on the topic of staying out of our girlfriends’ relationship problems and it’s actually a banger. She released a few singles prior to her reality TV fame, including “Still Believe In Love”, featuring Musiq Soulchild, and “Work With Me” in which she requests compassion in dealing with her past relationship baggage. We see her beautiful face on our TV screens as someone’s mother or wife, but her music deserves just as much attention. Not only is the writing superb, her vocals are AMAZING. A favorite, “Easy”, which was released in early 2017, in which she proclaims her self-worth over a mellow beat, showcases her top notch vocals. To catch more of this multi-talented queen’s singing ability, try listening to “Is This Love” and you will be left feeling like you just stepped out of the 80s with some Deniece Williams vibes. Her debut album, “Officially Yours”, will drop on October 06, 2017.

Antonique Smith

Antonique Smith’s claim to fame was her role as R&B singer Faith Evans, the ex-wife of the late hip-hop artist, Notorious B.I.G., in his biopic, Notorious. She was previously a Broadway star, with a role in the musical Rent, but Smith exited stage left to focus on film and music. Her striking beauty landed her in music videos for hip-hop artists such as Nas and Rick Ross, but Antonique is far more than an actress with a pretty face. This girl can SANG! Her debut single, “Hold Up Wait A Minute (Woo Woo)”, was up for a Grammy in 2015. Her album, “Love Is Everything”, showcases her vocals and the woman did not come to play. “Higher” is a favorite – serving vocals and lyrics! Hopefully, we’ll hear more music from Antonique in the future.

3 Underrated Musical Artists

In this era of reality show superstars and millennial obsession with absurdity and outlandish trends, true talent can get lost in the dust. As an avid fan of 90s R&B, when music had meaning and singers were true vocalists, I yearn to find some semblance of what I consider the soundtrack of my teenaged years. When I come across music that gives me flashbacks, I become kind of obsessed with it — and its deliverer. With that said, here are a few artists who have kept my love of R&B music aflame… but aren’t given the love they deserve in the music industry:

Sevyn Streeter

I fell in love with Sevyn when I heard “It Won’t Stop” on the radio back in 2013 from her EP ‘Call Me Crazy But…”. When I tell you that EP was fire, please believe that I am not exaggerating one bit. I still get caught on it ever so often and play “B.A.N.S.” on full blast so maybe my ex can hear it… wherever he is. She released two EPs and then her first LP studio album, Girl Disrupted, in 2017. Not only are her vocals ON POINT, she’s also an amazing songwriter, which tells me that she’s passionate… and passion makes for great soulful music – which she delivers impeccably. Sevyn’s song “Anything U Want”, from her debut full-length album, is amazingly reminiscent of a 90s SWV song. Her music takes me somewhere, and I love her for it.

Tamar Braxton

Diva extraordinaire, Tamar Estine Braxton, grabbed my attention on her family’s reality show, Braxton Family Values. She is outrageously hilarious and her original taglines took the world by storm. I was a fan of her beautiful sister, Toni Braxton, long before the reality show first aired in 2011, but Tamar won me over with her authentic absurdity! Then, I heard her sing and… I became a Tamartian. I was oblivious to her debut self-titled album, which debuted in 2000, but once “Love and War” dropped in 2013, I was SICK. This album dug up emotions within me that I thought were irretrievable! Real words with real vocals. Her song “Pieces” leaves my emotions in shambles every single time I hear it. Like a true, classic R&B artist, she released a Christmas album. Then came “Calling All Lovers” — such a true masterpiece from start to finish. ‘Broken Record’ and ‘Never’ always get special playback. Her fifth LP is set to release later this month and she says it will be her last, which is utterly unacceptable to me. Either way, I’ll keep her albums in heavy rotation eternally.

LeToya Luckett

Yeah, the girl who was kicked out of Destiny’s Child. I think people get so hung up on that fact and forget that she’s actually a very talented singer. She’s also a great actress and showcases her talent in her long-form visuals for her most recent album, “Back 2 Life”. She caught my attention back in 2006 when ‘Torn’ dropped from her debut self-titled album. ‘Obvious’ was on repeat all throughout 2007! She came back in 2009 with her second solo album, “Lady Love”, which was pretty much created a true fan out of me. I played that album into the ground. Earlier in 2017 when I heard “B2L” (from her latest album of the same title) and peeped the video, her talent once again slapped me in the face. I listened to the whole album and she stays true to what real music should provide — a relatable story. So 90s of her! I love the visuals behind the album… very well put together and entertaining. Love her.

These artists have loyal fanbases but are still very underrated in my opinion. I hope they keep giving us real R&B fans what we need, not what we’re used to *LeToya Luckett voice*.

Why we should stop comparing Rihanna to Beyoncé.

Beyoncé & Rihanna: two black women at the top of the music game. Both artists have been in headlines recently regarding new music and upcoming tours. Beyoncé caused a stir a few weeks ago with her controversial performance at Super Bowl 50, which pretty much added a little more history to Black History Month. Everything the woman does is epic. Rihanna definitely holds her own as well and is one hell of a hit maker, recently breaking Michael Jackson’s (yes THE Michael Jackson) record for most number one hits while unleashing another smash with a ridiculously infectious beat, “Work”. Slaying all up and through the music video for “Work” she dropped this past Monday, February 22, 2016 – looking absolutely scrumptious and twerking for her life. These two fabulous women certainly keep a buzz on social media. Their fan bases, the #BeyHive and #RihannaNavy, often go to war in the comment sections of your favorite gossip blog’s social media accounts. Whenever Rihanna is exalted, Beyoncé is denounced, and vice versa. However, to compare these two women is like comparing apples and oranges.

From being discovered by Jay-Z in the 2000s, Rihanna has transformed throughout her career and has ascended above most to become a mega star in the music game. When I say the woman can drop a hit, the woman can DROP A HIT. Her voice is unique, which makes her stand out. She comes off as the relatable girl from around the way who is cool as hell; kind of like the girl who befriends you in the bathroom at the club on Saturday night. She gets lit, twerks like a true Bajan goddess, and sets trends. Rihanna is an absolute fashion icon; she can wear anything and make it look hot. For these reasons and many more, her fan base is die-hard loyal. Millennials rock with Rih-Rih. She is also a businesswoman and brand ambassador and she has even taken a stab at acting in a movie or two. With all that being said, the very thing that makes her so popular amongst millennials is what could hinder her growth as a legendary artist: her turn up could turn down her vocal ability and work ethic. Not to say she can’t slay a hit song or stay booked, but it takes a lot to be at the very top of the game. She has an AMAZING team behind her and that is what has boosted her to where she is today – and she owns it.

Beyoncé was pretty much born a star. From talent competitions to girl group rehearsals, her parents pushed her from a very young age to hone her talents, which is the basis for her hard-core work ethic. Her level of perfectionism is obvious in everything she does. From her public persona, to her marriage, I’m pretty sure she has it all mapped out. She can come off as “programmed” to some, but she was simply groomed to be a star. In this age of social media, everyone feels entitled to know every detail of a superstar’s life and when access is denied, the bashing begins. It’s all a waste of thumb-thugging because Beyoncé never responds to rumors and backlash online. While many celebrities will “pop off” with Twitter fingers, Beyoncé simply dedicates a line or two in a new song to address the slander. Everything we know about Beyoncé is what she wants us to know; reminiscent of the pre-social-media-era where celebrities’ personal lives were vehemently kept under wraps. Classic Superstar 101. Whether or not people want to admit it, Beyoncé is the closest thing to Michael Jackson this era will know. Her vocal range is bananas and she owns the hell out of a stage – a true performer. Who else can sing flawlessly while dancing across a stage in heels in this day and age? She seems to be taking more risks this time around to create music that stirs up conversation. Beyoncé’s similarities to the King of Pop are in development but many choose to relegate her talents to be more in line with those of Rihanna instead.

Rihanna has amassed a team that knows how to win, and that is apparent. No one can take away her accomplishments and accolades – she has earned those fair & square. However, to pit her against an artist who was groomed in Jackson 5 fashion to be a superstar with ironclad work ethics and dedication to perfection is simply unfair. Rihanna has not only surpassed Beyoncé & Michael Jackson in producing hits; she has obviously surpassed Janet Jackson & Whitney Houston – both legends in the music game. Does this mean Rihanna is better than all of these artists as well? Why pit her against Beyoncé?

Rihanna will never be Beyoncé because she will be too busy being Rihanna – beautiful, iconic, trend-setting, hit-making Rihanna. It’s certainly not crowded at the top so we should just let them both be great.

Ledisi: No longer Underrated. Now, Officially AMAZING.

Ledisi’s new album, The Truth can be broken down in one word (emphatically): Amazing. Start to finish, back to front, “I Blame You” to “Can’t Help Who You Love” – totally bananas. I’m not going to sit and pretend that I’ve been a die-hard Ledisi fan, nor will I pretend I’ve known much about her music or career prior to today. However, I will say that she definitely gained a fan after my ears were blessed with the crazy beats, insane melodies, and veracious vocals contained within the realms of her album released this wonderful day.

If it weren’t for Instagram, I just may have missed out on this gem. I had heard her name mentioned here and there on radio shows but I’d never really known much about her until a few months ago when a person I follow on IG posted something relating to Ledisi – from a photo shoot, I believe. The photo’s fierce factor lured me to visit her page and there I found an immensely beautiful black woman. Her natural vibe drew me in and I’ve been IG stalking ever since. I’m not a lesbian, but close – if you’re hot, I’m checking for you. Period. She’d been updating her social media with promotional pictures and she was apparently going hard with her new image: Super svelte and sexy without compromising class; natural yet glamorous. Now, I am astonished to know that there’s a prodigious voice behind it all.

So after all of the promotion, her album finally dropped. And I bought it. And. I. Got. Chills. Real chills. Totally groove-able, relatable, and repeat worthy. Honestly, I was taken by surprise. I took a chance and downloaded the whole album in this single-purchasing world simply because I wanted to support this beautiful, black, female artist. No bootlegging here. No skipping songs, no “blah” moments, all GOOD. When artists are deemed “neo-soul”, sometimes their music can be a little “out there” or somewhat, well, boring, to be frank. Contraire mon frère, The Truth is a solid, soulful, engaging album. “I Blame You” gets the groove going with its classic R&B rhythm. The girl said: “Gimme a mic & I’ll rock it” on “Rock With You” and she did that! On “That Good Good” – the turn up is real! “Lose Control” got me feeling some type of way… *ahem* your man will love that one. “Like This” is preaching on that real relationship drama we’ve all dealt with. She’s that ride or die chick on “Anything”. You’ll be grooving on “The Truth” because the melody is crazy, but at the same time, the lyrics will hit you like a ton of bricks upon realization that she’s killing you softly with the ugly truth about the demise of a love you once cherished. “Missy Doubt” will undoubtedly have you snapping your fingers and moving your body (the beat is nuts) while simultaneously giving you hope that one day someone will come along and renew your faith in love. She’s kicked to the curb on “88 boxes” and reminiscing on what could’ve and would’ve been. “Can’t Help Who You Love” is a mellow groove that tells all the naysayers to just DEAL with her heart’s choice.

I know good music when I hear it and this is it. Hopefully, Ledisi will get the recognition she deserves with this new album and emerge from the ranks of the “underrated”. She definitely has garnered my attention and will be in HEAVY rotation on my stereo right along with Beyoncé, Tamar Braxton, K. Michelle, Sevyn Streeter, Brandy, Keyshia Cole, and Elle Varner. Thank you, Ledisi, for this masterpiece.