Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Esthero



I love this woman's music. I love how her music switches in tempo. I love the sensuality, ethereal-ness, submerged feeling her music puts you in. Her Myspace lists her as Soul/Jazz/Pop. I am a big fan of artists who grant their fans some degree of accessibility to them and Esthero is one of those artists. She has a ton of blogs on her Myspace, she interacts with her fans, responds to notes, etc. I guarantee (*guarantee not valid by law) that you will like at least one of her songs which will lead you to another, and then another. Here are my favorite Esthero songs:

1. Dragonfly (Outro)













Dragonflys Outro - Esthero

The melodies and music of this song turned up loud just envelop me. The song cloaks me in an atmosphere of cloudy dusk skies with a storm breeze blowing, with dragonflies and fireflies flitting about in an open field...while the busy lights of the city lay below the hill I'm standing on. The way the instruments come together in a heady mix accompanied by the opening vocals is wonderful: "Find me...find me in an open sky..."

2. Country Livin' (The World I Know)













Country Livin (The World I Know) - Esthero

The instruments and melody in this song also wrap me up and take me on a journey. I love the soaring music and lyrics: "We can drive around all night, we wouldn't have to go too far...just look at the stars". This song and Dragonfly are 2 of my favorite songs period.

3. I Drive Alone













I Drive Alone - Esthero

The beat and lyrical maze on this song are insistent, pulsating, driving, and sensual. "Can't go on, but I...can't go home, and I'm...not so strong, but I...make my way to the...place I know, in...side my heart, where I...used to go, to get...brave, and I don't wanna be lost anymore"

4. My Torture













My Torture - Esthero

This song is slow-motion, slightly trippy, despondent, longing. I know many of us can relate to the opening lyric: "Set myself on fire...anything to...turn your head" and I love the tempo switch-up toward the end. I can re-live the pain in her voice when she says: "I want you to comfort me...I want you to stop...disturbing my sleep" and "I want it to stop hurting...so bad, so bad"

5. Fastlane (Cottonbelly Remix)













Fastlane (Cottonbelly Mix) - Esthero

Cottonbelly (from Sweetback) has a tendency to porn-ify a song via remix. I think this song is fun and seductive, especially with Jemeni's spoken-word vocals at the end: "You can tie my hands behind my back and lick your initials in my neck"

Here is her official website if you want to know more about her and support her. I think she is immensely talented. FYI, she also co-wrote Kanye West's Love Lockdown.

7 jewels of thought:

FunkyHeadHunter said...

I absolutely love her!!!!!! Thanks for exposing others to that fabulous pixie.

Anonymous said...

Glad you're feeling better! Esthero is definitely one of my favorites, especially her 'Breath From Another' Album. It stays on my rotation, or actually has since 1998 without fail. if you play that album today, it sounds like it was made tomorrow; that's how revolutionary it was in the trip-hop-chilly-jazz-electro-pop world. She was a true trail blazer...

Anonymous said...

I really like *I Drive Alone*. I think it was on one of *The L Word* soundtracks, but I can't remember which season.

Fly Girl said...

I love her whole vibe, thanks for posting her songs, I was too lazy to find them myself!

Gem said...

FHH: No problem; we have to get the word out!

M: You are so right, it does sound as if it were made tomorrow! I love that line.

Vesper: It is on the L Word Soundtack. I'm making my way through Season 1 via Netflix so I haven't seen that scene featuring I Drive Alone yet, but I heard it's pretty powerful.

FlyGirl: No problem! I love the songs I posted. Did you like any in particular?

InnyVinny said...

She is amazeballs dude.

Gem said...

Real talk.

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