Beyond her family roots (as the daughter of the late, great Donny Hathaway), Lalah Hathaway has always prided herself on her stand for artistic integrity. Going back to when she and I first met in 1990 at the time of the release of her debut album for Virgin Records, the Berklee School Of Music graduate has made it clear that her approach to music is about art and emotion. The pathway to recognition beyond the small coterie of discerning music buyers who instantly responded to her based on her family name hasn’t been an easy one for Lalah: three solo albums and “The Song Lives On,” a 1999 set with ex-Crusader Joe Sample have expanded her reach without any loss of her much-treasured artistic integrity. Her much-awaited first album for Stax/Concord is the appropriately entitled “Self Portrait” and undoubtedly, it’s her most personal work to date.

Working with producers Rex Rideout, Kenneth Crouch, Paula Galitano and Terrace Martin, Lalah has fashioned a record that displays a deeper commitment to her art: she was involved in co-writing and co-producing all twelve tracks. Much like her father’s albums, “Self Portrait” is a piece of work listened to in its entirety. There are some brilliant cuts: “Let Go” and “Learning To Swim” are particularly notable while “What Goes Around” has the earmarks of a future Lalah classic. “Little Girl” has an intimate flavor that suggests that, much like the other songs on “Self Portrait,” Lalah is directly referencing her own life experience rather than taking on the role of an observer (as some songwriters do). “Udo” (“Unidentified Divine Object”) is poetic while the mellow closing cut, “Tragic Inevitability” is not as somber as its title implies.

In a June 16 interview, Lalah agrees that “Self Portrait” is “my most personal album to date. I almost feel like this is my first album,” she notes. “When I made my first record for Virgin, I was young – I arrived in Los Angeles on the Amtrak from Boston and we just made the record, boom. The second one was different because the A&R staff at Virgin was changing and so was the music scene. My third record, with Joe Sample, was precious, a classic. It took quite a few years for my last record, “Outrun The Sky” because I was looking for a label who would pay to put it out. This new one was the most pristine experience: I signed with Concord/Stax, we went in and made the record and now it’s out. In the past, every time I made a record, I had to deal with companies giving me rules about what wouldn’t work. This time, I didn’t care what people thought…and I’m so proud of how it turned out. This is my best record and my new hope is that each album I make is better than the last…”

David Nathan
a/k/a “The British Ambassador Of Soul”
Owner,
www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com,
www.soulmusicglobal.com
Secretary, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation (www.rhythmblues.org)
Senior Contributing Writer, Blues & Soul (www.bluesandsoul.com)

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