Good Morning!
Today we’re listening to “This Life” by Kendra Morris
Listening to Kendra Morris, you’d be excused for thinking it was Chaka Khan or similar coming through your speakers. It might be 2022, but her voice evokes the same soulful sounds of the early 70’s.
Morris has put out several records and EPs over the last decade and worked with everyone from MF DOOM to Scarlett Johansson as part of the latter’s Sugar For Sugar band, where they cut a cover of New Order’s “Bizarre Love Triangle” as part of a charity compilation benefitting amFAR.
“This Life” is a universe away from the nighttime neon pulse of that. Instead, Morris takes us to sunny days with a swirling, languid sound and vocals to match.
Today’s song originally appeared on record label Karma Chief’s 2021 “Brighter Days Ahead” compilation. It will also feature on her “Nine Lives” record out later this summer.
More:
Not every vocalist can get down and just blow in that retro-soul soul vein, you know? Do that Amy Winehouse thing with perfection. Many may try and they sure do fall short. As the emcee Grand Puba would say, cats try to copy but just can’t get it down right. Only a scant few, can make that music in solitude, on an 8-track, in their closet and have it come out legit. That’s not a job, mind you, it’s a longing. A personal religion.
Read the rest of the review here.
Listen
“This Life” by Kendra Morris| Nine Lives, 2022
Click the record to listen on your platform of choice.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this track!
Thanks for being here,
Kevin—
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Thank you for introducing this! I LOVE IT. You're right about the voice, but the sound also has this wonderful 90s vibe of Soul II Soul and Incognito to it.
10 seconds into this tune and I was hooked!