Giving Her Something She Can Feel
Word on the street Twitter is Lalah Hathaway is still accepting demos to possibly use on her next project. She had the same call to action on her Facebook status last week -- only it had a deadline of 24 hours. I saw it while riding the train, but it didn't stop me from pulling out my moleskine and writing something for her on my way home.
Yes, it's that serious. This is Lalah.
When I got home, I took my chicken stratches and rough vocals (I recorded on my iPhone) into the lab and started writing the music. Within 30 minutes, I had the structure. Two hours later, I had the arrangement. It was all coming together so beautifully. Then I played it back.
I hated it.
It was a traditional Lalah Hathaway template: 3/4 time, jazzy, groovy, etc. It's a good track but it sounded more like I was trying to make room in a very small musical box when there is so much room on the outside. I hit "Save" then "Close" and proceeded to start from scratch. Something edgier and funkier while retaining the melodic charm indicative of Lalah's sultry voice. I stayed up until the sun came to greet me again. . . and it was worth every tiresome moment. I happily e-mailed my song to her the following afternoon.
Now that I know she's still accepting submissions, I think I'll revisit that jazzy track and add some more seasoning. Maybe I'll think of something (else) totally out of the box. There's no guarantee that she'll use any of them -- but creating music for someone you have admired for years is a blessing in and of itself.
One thing I've learned in the past year is that your gift will make room for you and dreams definitely come true to those who never give up. Giving Lalah a song that she can feel is a dream whose edges are crisp with the vibrant hues of reality -- even though it is but a wish inside my heart.
Will says:
Yes, Lawd. Good stuff, my friend.