Critical Noir: Daughter of Soul
By Mark Anthony Neal
Some may not immediately recognize her face, but the voice and that family name are unforgettable. Yes, it’s been 10 years since Lalah Hathaway has released a full-length recording and while much of what claims to be R&B and soul music today is quite forgettable, the return of soul’s daughter is more than a hopeful sign.
There’s rarely an interview or profile with Lalah Hathaway that doesn’t begin with the question: What’s it like to be the daughter of soul man royalty? With the children of so many legends trying to get in the game on the strength of their mother or father’s name, folk were understandably skeptical when Hathaway dropped her eponymous debut in 1990, particularly since Donny Hathaway was such a unique talent. But with tasty gems like ‘Sentimental’ and ‘Somethin’ ’, Hathaway earned her own audience. Barely 20 years old at the time of her first release, Hathaway sounded like a seasoned veteran -- her vocals mature and assured, a grown woman singing among a choir of chirpers. Hathaway confessed that, “People ask me [about my father] all the time…I’m not tripped out at the fact people always start my name with ‘daughter of the late, great Donny Hathaway’….It’s all good, it’s part of who I am, part of my legacy and I’m proud, so I don’t have a problem with it at all.”
Hathaway followed up her debut with ‘A Moment,’ a project that her label at the time deliberately tried to market to hip-hop generation listeners. “I think [Virgin Records] was confused about what was happening. I think what happened with black music [in the mid ’90s] caught a lot of people by surprise,” Hathaway admits. “I felt like [‘A Moment’] …was a really good record, I really felt like it was a good solid effort, in the body of my work. But unfortunately it didn’t even get the light of day, because they had no idea what to do with me at that point.” Though Hathaway continued to work, doing session work with artists like Take 6 (a remake of ‘Someday We’ll All be Free’), Mary J. Blige, David Sanborn and Me'Shell NdegéOcello and touring extensively with pianist Joe Sample (the two collaborated on the album ‘The Song Lives On’ in 1999) and Marcus Miller, she was without a label until Blue Moon/Mesa agreed to release her latest work, ‘Outrun the Sky.’
During her time away from the limelight, Hathaway sustained herself on the idea that she was a musician no matter what was happening with the music industry. According to Hathaway, “My upbringing is as a musician…It starts there. Whether or not I get to make records or do interviews or go on TV or whatever, I’m a musician. That is what I do, that’s my life’s work.” As children, Hathaway and her sister Kenya were exposed to a wide range of creative expression -- her mother was a classically trained vocalist -- thus she has always seen herself as an artist, whether it was as a painter, magician or comedienne (all things she wanted to be as a child). Hathaway gives a great deal of credit to the home environment her mother created, particularly after her father’s death: “The story that I grew up with in my house was not about the bling. My mother always taught us, you do what you need to be doing, you do what you supposed to be doing, the money will follow. I think it’s the cart before the horse now for a lot of kids. And I don’t judge that, I just think it’s unfortunate, because I see a lot of talent out there, but I’m just not hearing a lot of soul.”
And it was that lack of soul that really had Hathaway on edge when I talked to her via phone: “I really feel like there is a serious kind of deficiency of soul music. It’s not to take away from any of the young women, I feel like I am one of those young women. The music I create happens to be sophisticated on some levels, but I don’t feel like age and standards are mutually exclusive.” Part of the struggle for an artist like Hathaway and so many others -- Miki Howard, Regina Bell, Trina Broussard, immediately come to mind -- is that the recording industry doesn’t really know what to do with black women singers once they get their ‘grown woman on.’ Not everybody is getting the same kind of love that Jill Scott or Anita Baker are currently getting. “As a woman,” Hathaway argues, “trying to make a record where I’m not like necessarily out there shaking my a** on TV and I’m not trying to appeal to the lowest common denominator…it is hard trying to find a place for that.” She adds, “and it is hard, particularly as a black artist, again, if you’re not within that realm of hip-hop, you’re kinda out. That’s frustrating, not because it’s not inclusive of me, but because soul music and black music is so thick and rich and full of our culture that it’s hard to see it limited to one or two images. I really feel that soul music, particularly rhythm and blues music in this country, tells a story of where our people are in this country.”
But Hathaway is excited about her new release ‘Outrun the Sky.’ Among the strongest tracks on the project is her remake of Luther Vandross’ ‘Forever, For Always, For Love.’ A year ago Hathaway appeared, along with Nona Gaye, in the video for Vandross’ ‘Dance With My Father,’ paying tribute to the memories of their respective fathers. Her version of ‘Forever, For Always, For Love’ was recorded for a smooth jazz tribute to Vandross that was produced by Rex Rideout. According to Hathaway, “I really wanted to put my foot in it for Luther…I can’t wait to meet him and talk to him about it.”
Other highlights on ‘Outrun the Sky’ include ‘Admit It,’ ‘We Were 2’ and ‘Boston’ -- all songs that Hathaway either wrote or co-wrote. Despite her concerns about the record industry, Hathaway remains hopeful: “I could not ask for a better career…I’m so blessed to understand that I have more than I could have ever wished for, I have the respect of my peers, and when people come to me and say, ‘Oh, that song…’ they really, really mean it. I really appreciate that.”
Nov. 10, 2004