Black Music Month is going by way too fast! It’s already the end of June. I am not going to let this month pass without indulging in a few more tunes. After hearing Yaya Bey’s new track, “Meet Me In Brooklyn,” on Morning Becomes Eclectic, I had to share it with my ravishing ones. This song is short and sweet with a touch of reggae. Press play to get an earful of this sweet summer treat.
Category: Music Break
Ravishing Listen: PJ Morton’s “Please Don’t Walk Away”
Since it’s Black Music Month, I will highlight some tracks by my favorite songwriters. I will start with PJ Morton’s “Please Don’t Walk Away.” This song is so pure, sincere, and honest. Not only did Morton pen the track, but he also sang and played the keys along with drum programming. The most beautiful part about this track is the symphony of sounds by talented violinists, cellists, saxophonists, trombonists, and others that helped complement the fantastic production.
Teedra Moses Celebrates 15th Anniversary of “Complex Simplicity”
Ravishing Raconteur had the pleasure of joining singer-songwriter, Teedra Moses, along with her family, friends, and fans to celebrate the 15th anniversary of her debut album, Complex Simplicity, at The Resident in Downtown Los Angeles’ colorful arts district.
Released in 2004, Complex Simplicity received critical acclaim as one of the recommended must-listen R&B-Soul albums of the year. With all the success of the album, Moses didn’t make a dime on the album, only on publishing. 15 years later, this album still resonates with so many music lovers. During her Live Q&A, she shared highlights and intimate thoughts behind the 14-track album. Here’s what she had to say:
Be Your Girl
Moses said this song “sustained” her and didn’t know it would garner so much fanfare. Many DJs have remixed it all over the world. The (Kaytranada Edition is a fan fave.)
Fun fact: this song was inspired by a crush she had on rapper Nas. She felt they could relate on two levels: 1. They made great music, and 2: their mothers passed away. The sweet deal out of this is that Nas sampled “Be Your Girl” for his song “One on One”:
You’ll Never Find (A Better Woman)
“He hasn’t found anyone better,” says Moses of ex-boyfriend and father of their twin sons, rapper Ras Kas. Moses continued, “I tried with him and believed in him.” On the spot, she asked one of her sons, who was in attendance, “Has he found a better one?” Her son responded, “Nope.”
Caution
“I was looking in the mirror the whole time when I wrote the lyrics,” said Moses. She revealed that she didn’t feel good about herself at the time, so she went into a character that inspired lyrics such as, “To date me must be hot.”
Rescue Me
“Still waiting on God 15 years later,” said Moses referring to the sultry track, an ode to finding her true love. “Being a single parent can be lonely, “ she said. At that moment in her life, she was busy honing her craft in singing and songwriting and taking care of her twin boys, so she wasn’t in a “position to play.”
Take Me
This track described her romantic relationship at the time. Unfortunately, it fizzled, but one great relationship she has is her friendship with award-winning singer/songwriter/producer Raphael Saadiq who lent his vocals and production to this dreamy track.
She said Saadiq was a significant encouragement in her musical journey by helping her to stay active as an independent artist. He told her that she was “a dope entity on her own.”
For a lifetime
Dedicated to her best friend, who is her stylist. She described her as being beautiful inside and out and wants her to experience the love that she described in the song.
Caught Up
This is the first song that she wrote, arranged, and recorded. After completing that song, she knew that she could continue to craft her songs from start to finish, and own the rights to her work, and make money.
Last Day
This eerily beautiful song was written after her mother’s death. She described this period of her life as “morbid and questioned her morality” and wondered if she were to die today, how she would want to die.
You better tell her/ Outta My Head
She said those are her most aggressive songs on the album. The energy in those songs exudes her personality.
On tell her, it was about telling her cheating lover to put a drama-filled side chick in her place. But Moses reiterated, “That if you need to have that kind of conversation with your man, you don’t need to be in that relationship.”
Complex Simplicity
Written and recorded after her mother passed away, Moses described this track as her “liberation song.” She said, “Life is not easy. We are all suffering through something; it’s just how you do it.”
I think of you (Shirley song)
This track is special to her because it featured her mom singing a gospel song “Bye and Bye (This Old Soul of Mine) by Marie Knight.” Moses sang this song live but became very emotional. Moses stated, “this why I never sing this song.” It’s so sentimental that it was hard to perform while on tour.
Backstroke
This track is one of her highly requested songs – internationally, nationally. Second after Be Your Girl.
Moses ended the event by sharing that she is happy, Even without the glitz, glamour, and advertisement. She encouraged the crowd to go for their purpose even if it looks like nothing is happening.
Complex Simplicity will be re-released on September 27th.
Ravishing Listen: Sia Amun’s “Single AF”
My interview with SIA AMUN via MusikIDTV.com
“…Superman come save me, baby, until then, I am Single AF!”
Those are the lyrics by Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter, SIA AMUN, from her blazing new track “Single AF!”
Longtime songwriter for your favorite singers like Mary J. Blige, Trey Songz, and Lady Gaga, SIA is ready for her spotlight armed with the confidence, experience, and skills to back her up. Being that she is the daughter of 3-time Grammy award-winning songwriter/producer, Steven Russell-Harts (R&B Troop and Production team, The Underdogs), she learned valuable lessons about the art of making music that she practices to this day.
The lovely songstress took time out of her busy schedule to dish on how it is being single AF in LA, especially as an artist and what inspired her to be a musician.
MUSIK !D TV: Tell us the inspiration behind “Single AF” from concept to completed track?
SIA AMUN: I was in the studio working with Ryan Toby (City High, Usher “Caught Up”) and my boy Ali who produced the track. Ryan asked me, “So, what’s up, how’s life” and the first thing that came out of my mouth was “Well…I’m SINGLE AS FUUUCCKKK,” and everyone fell out laughing. We knew that was going to be the song immediately.
The truth is, I’m a sucker for love, but I like my freedom. It’s such an interesting place to be in, why not write about it? “Superman come and save me, until then I’m Single AF,” I seriously feel that way, and I’m not settling. I’m free to do what I want at any time, I can go anywhere with anybody, but I don’t want just anybody. It’s easy to find a fling, or someone to kill time with, but I want something real when the time is right. I’m old school lol, I’m not with the weekend shit.
MIDTV: People are going crazy over this track, even calling it a new anthem. Why do you think fans relate to it so much?
SA: Yea, that’s pretty cool. I wrote this record from a very sincere place. I wrote it the same way I write in my diary, and that’s what I think people connect to, the realness of it. Everyone has felt this way at some point in their life.
MIDTV: Let’s get a little girl talk in really quick – we find it hard to believe that you are single! How is the Los Angeles dating scene like for an artist? Is it more complicated?
SA: It’s definitely more complicated being an artist because not everyone understands the life, or the work it takes and so on. But honestly, I can’t speak on the dating scene, I’m so focused on manifesting other things in my life, focused on loving me and being completely happy with me first before even getting somebody else involved with my craziness lol that I don’t really put myself out there like that. I tried dating a little after my last relationship, but it’s just not my thing. I’m so weird when it comes to that kind of stuff.
MIDTV: There is a unifying theme of love in most music popular and otherwise, what does love mean to you?
SA: Love is everything. We have the experiences we have as humans (heartbreaks, finding a soulmate, losing friends, death, births, disappointments, etc) to learn how to love unconditionally. True love is peace and happiness, no judgment, acceptance, and oneness. My ultimate goal is to love and be loved unconditionally, through my music and in life.
MIDTV: Being that Steven Russell-Harts is your father, you were introduced to the music scene very quickly. Describe the moment you realized that you wanted to be a singer/songwriter?
SA: I was introduced to the fact that living my dream was a real thing, and not just some intangible fantasy dream that only exists in my head, from my dad and watching him. But, as far as the spark that got me going, that came from my grandmother (My dad’s mom). She was and is the greatest influence in my life, and the reason I am who I am today. When I was 4 years old, she made me sing her a song. The reaction she gave, the excitement and the smile on her face afterward gave me a feeling of completeness, I felt complete joy in that moment. I was too young to know what I was doing but to bring so much joy to her, I knew that day that I was going to spend my life making people feel the way I made her feel and vise versa. I still feel that feeling today as if it just happened. Rest in peace to my beautiful Angel. She introduced me to India Arie, Brandy, Fleetwood Mac, the Commodores and so many great artists that helped develop who I later became as a singer, from my tone to my content.
For a long time, I had no clue that artists didn’t write their own music. I was a dancer and singer and solely focused on that. It wasn’t until my dad wrote “Gots Ta Be” and “Why I Love You” for B2K that I realized what was really going on. I thought he was the coolest guy on the planet lol. I started going to the studio with him when I was about 12/13, at that time he was apart of The Underdogs which consisted of Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas, James Fauntleroy, Tank, Tony Dixon, Eric Dawkins, etc. – some of the best to ever do it. I fell in love with songwriting watching them create. I sat in the corner of countless sessions for hours just watching and soaking it all in. It was and still is like magic to me. To start with absolutely nothing at the beginning of a session and end with a full record that was played on the radio every day was very Godly and I wanted to be apart of that. My dad knew that I wanted to be an artist, but he encouraged me to focus on writing, so that’s what I did. I made the transition from songwriter to artist after my grandmother passed in 2015.
Read more at MusikIDTV.com.
Ravishing Raconteur 