Testimony, Volume 1: Life & Relationship

by

India.Arie

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On the opening track to her new album, Testimony: Volume 1 Love and Relationships, India.Arie gently invokes the serenity prayer, "god grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." and asks God to give her the courage to love with an open heart. With those elegant words, beautifully sung, India.Arie enters on a one hour journey of healing, understanding, and reflection. Her musical style is parts jazz, blues, R&B, and her voice is the sparkle in the mix, bold where needed, gentle where appropriate, and always interesting,

Opening track These Eyes is a wonderful song with a great beat and chorus. A surprisingly good cover of Don Henley's Heart of the Matter follows. The uptempo word play of Private Party shows India.Arie celebrating her womanhood, "my body is beautiful, sacred, and im gonna celebrate it." I think we can all guess what kind of party that will be, but its more than that, its India realizing her strength in being a woman relies in her believing in herself, not being dependant on a man.

The track There's Hope has a great Fugees-like sound to it; a beat heavy mid-tempo track with a great vocal. Just a fun, fun track all around. India's Song is about shedding the baggage of hatred, and learning to live again, with some amazingly introspective lyrics. A cleverishly fun track is I Am Not My Hair, combining a fast fingered acoustic guitar with a beat heavy vocal. Probably my favorite track on the CD. Great is another exceptional track, but Better People is a discoish mess whose lyrics deserved better music.

The most touching pieces on the album are the three interludes titled, Living, Loving, and Learning. That is the message of this album, and this is India.Arie doing all three through her music, and its a lot of fun to listen to her journey. The record closes with a gorgeous track called This Too Shall Pass, and we are left with the desire to listen again, and delve further into this fascinating world India has created with Testimony Vol 1. Wonderful album and highly recommended.

A.G. Corwin

St.Louis, MO