“The two things that people keep telling me about my new record (“Self Potrait,” just released on Stax/Concord) are that they can listen to it all the way through as a body of work – and that’s really beautiful. And, a lot of people will say, ‘Girl, I love your father but I love you too!’ I’m getting so much love from just being my father’s daughter and that’s very gratifying.”

Lalah Hathaway is speaking of Donny and in a June 16 interview, she says, “Being with Stax Records is very exciting for me since so many of my Dad’s contemporaries were at the label…” Much like her father’s work, Lalah’s latest project is introspective and very personal. She considers some of the songs: “Well, “What Goes Around” was inspired by a particular incident in my life that had me look at the overall concept of ‘reap what you sow.’ The song “Learning To Swim” was literal – it was written in 1993 when I was in Bermuda and some friends were teaching me how to swim! The song is metaphorical for me…I’m constantly re-learning things. “Tragic Inevitability” was also inspired by a personal situation: the track was done by two of the musicians who are in the band that travels with the ‘Daughters Of Soul’ show (done with Nina Simone’s daughter Simone, Chaka Khan’s daughter Milini and Sandra St. Victor, among others) and I told the guys I wanted something like a Bjork, Ambient, Radiohead kind of track. I literally came up with the lyrics standing at the microphone! And “On Your Own”? When I first started working on the album with (producer) Rex Rideout, he played me the track: it had similar vibe and feel to “Forever, For Always, For Love” (the title track featuring Lalah on the 2007 tribute album to Luther Vandross) but I didn’t want to do anything with it at first. I came back to it – it was the last song I did for the album and it was inspired by a dream I had in which my father was giving me all this music. So many people who knew my Dad say we are so much alike…” (A footnote: unbeknownst to Lalah, her father in fact had recorded a song called “Make It On Your Own” which has remained in Atlantic’s vaults since 1971; she was understandably shocked when I revealed that the song even existed with a title so similar to her own new recording).

Just off the road for week after doing shows and promoting “Self Portrait,” Lalah considers her career is “a funny thing. I haven’t sold millions of records, I haven’t had any gold records, no number ones but I still feel very successful. My dogs are fed, I have a great group of friends, I don’t really want for anything… I’m able to work even when I don’t have a record out…I’ve been able to do what I love for almost twenty years: my career’s very fulfilling and I’ve been very blessed…”

Singular in her approach to her work, Lalah is one of the few artists – and certainly the only one who comes to mind of her generation – who understands the importance of space and silence in between words. Her father’s occasional duet partner Roberta Flack has the same gift. Having seen Lalah in concert on a few occasions, I can’t wait to hear the music on “Self Portrait” brought to life in performance.

David Nathan
A/k/a the British Ambassador Of Soul
Secretary, The Rhythm & Blues Foundation (www.rhythmblues.org)
Owner,
www.soulmusic.com,
www.soulmusicstore.com,
www.soulmusicglobal.com

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