Lalah Hathaway – Made In Chicago
It is clearly her best album to date. The Fender Rhodes solo (Michael Aaberg) on “Magic” and the ethereal quality of the track is worth the trip alone. The vocoder vocals add to the overall beautifully haunting atmosphere. Sounds like Herbie Hancock circa 1978. Check also the lilting flute solo by Elena Pinderhughes. Co-produced with Moonchild multi-instrumentalist Phil Beaudreau, “Made In Chicago” celebrates Lalah Hathaway‘s hometown and the legacy of her father, the great Donny Hathaway. They perfectly catch the 70s soul vibe on the album opener and first single “47th Street” with J. Ivy adding some history lesson via spoken words. It’s a sweet dedication to both the windy city and her father. On “So Smart”, there are echoes of “No Lie” from her last album “VANTABLACK”, where she teamed up with Phil and Michael McDonald. Her vocal performance is superb throughout the set. I really dig the horn arrangement here too.
We also get a perfect soul/r&b mix on “Follow” which is a superb groove monster with Lalah’s vocals caressing and controlling the tune. Second single “Can’t Let Go” is still resonating with its early to mid 80s vibe. Chicago is front and center again with the very elegant and smooth “Every Little Thing” which features MAE.SUN on tenor sax. It’s another exquisitely created soul track which doesn’t shy away from elongating the whole vibe to some luxurious six minutes. Things get slightly more uptempo on the jam-fun “Rainbo” where Moonchild’s Amber Navran is included on sax. It’s one of the more poppier tunes on the album. And we also get a sweet sweet ballad. On “Someday”, Lalah once again proves why she is one of the best singers around. It’s a simple little love song which has some wonderful treats such as the violin and xylophone played by Phil and neat percussion work courtesy of Roland Gajate Garcia. And the bittersweet “Time” with its gut-wrenching “Never thought the last time you looked in my eyes would be the last time that we said goodbye” lyric is another nod to her father’s legacy. Another big plus: the cover art!
