Amazon.co.uk Review
India.Arie's
Acoustic Soul is just as advertised: grooving soul music with an acoustic bent. Arie herself plays guitar, supplemented by strings (instead of synthesizers) and drums (instead of drum machines). The first single, "Video", is a calm, confident ode to self-love, comparing the dreadlocked, petite Arie to the average girl in a video. Arie is indeed anything but average: her debut marks the auspicious return of the black female singer-songwriter, in the vein of
Me'Shell Ndegeocello,
Tracy Chapman and
Dionne Farris. If you like their music, with thoughtful lyrics and layers of instrumentation, you'll love this album. "Video" is fabulous, but other high points include "Ready for Love", a lament that smoulders before slowly building to a crescendo, with tinkling piano, guitar and cello swelling beneath the vocal. "Strength, Courage And Wisdom" is an optimistic anthem that'll have you clapping your hands and swaying from side to side, and the best track on the album, "Simple", is a straightforward love song with a pulsating beat.
Acoustic Soul may not be full of radio-friendly tracks, but every track is strong, and the disc improves each time you press play.
--Courtney Kemp
Description
Debut album from India.Arie who has been compared to ErykahBadu and Jill Scott. Melodic R&B and soul with influences of roots, blues and hip hop. Includes her debut single 'Video' and the follow up 'Brown Skin'.