ohh gosh it's the Lila Iké thread

This has been a great year for music already, but my low-key favorite release so far is Lila Iké's ExPerience EP, which seamlessly blends various Jamaican genres with rnb and some singer-songwriter introspection. Some earlier discussion from the rolling dancehall thread:

The Iké EP, ExPerience, is excellent. Rather than heading in a roots-revival direction like I'd assumed based on "Where I'm Coming From", it's much more like updated (80s) lover's rock. At least until the last track where she takes on Sly & Robbie's riddim for The Tamlins' "Baltimore," which if you're going to voice a classic is a goddamn good choice, not to mention it's pretty groovy anyway

― dip to dup (rob), Saturday, May 23, 2020 9:20 AM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

Agreed. I love the diversity I'm discovering in Jamaican music "behind" the traditional roots - dancehall binary. And each song has something different to offer but keeps that unique Jamaican singing style. Mother of God the way she hits those notes on 'Second Chance'. This EP is placing on my year-end list.

― Nabozo, Saturday, May 23, 2020 9:51 AM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

Yeah I love how commanding her voice can be, but then the vibrato maintains a constant note of vulnerability. More broadly, the roots-dancehall binary is definitely overstated, obscuring genres like rocksteady and lovers plus tons of artists worked in both areas and there has always been plenty of mixing of the two genres/impulses.

― dip to dup (rob), Saturday, May 23, 2020 9:59 AM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

Listening to "Solitude", "Stars Align" and "Forget Me" in a loop. So, so good.

― No mean feat. DaBaby (breastcrawl), Saturday, May 23, 2020 11:38 AM (one month ago)

I first got into her thanks to the talawah authority she displays on "Where I'm Coming From" and in its rad video (though as mentioned above it's a bit more militant-sounding than the rest of the EP):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NDaJtcusi4

"Forget Me" has a good vid now too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00WWfo14Xd4

I approve of this thread!

Love that video for “Forget Me”. Good to see she’s focusing on what to me are the songs that make her and this EP extra special, even when “Forget Me” and “Solitude” are the least streamed tracks on Spotify so far.

“Solitude” also has a (visualizer) video btw: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxrY8TWKJL0

I get a Monica vibe from “Forget Me” and especially “Solitude”. The one of those days bit in there could very well be a reference to “Don’t Take It Personal”.

As for Big Song #3, “Stars Align”, that’s the one that sounds most like a potential (crossover) hit. I have no doubt there’s a video for it in the works. It’s a perfect fit with Chloe x Halle’s “Do It”, for instance.

Oh and here’s a Billboard profile on her from last year

agreed on "Stars Align," love her singjay style on that one and v cool production

I don't really know Monica at all (I was basically a corny indie fuxxor in that era--I still have moments like "damn Aaliyah is dope, who knew? lol @ me"), so I'll have to investigate that further.

All Iké's videos are at least good if not great; lots of cool styles in the dembow-with-fingersnaps "I Spy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4a0eg-M9us

And reading that profile reminded me how good she is on Protoje's straight roots "Not Another Word" (which would make an excellent 2020 anthem):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVAKYPCQAek

Lila does Tiny Desk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbPa0QH_zxA

so good!

nominally a track on Protoje's new album, but "In Bloom" belongs to Lila:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_HQprAlM_E

that’s gorgeous

Looks like HER's reggae turn isn't just a brief infatuation

Bare tingz. Bare Vybz @HERMusicx 🌸 pic.twitter.com/fZIfIeC65p

— 🌸IN BLOOM🌸 (@LilaIkeJa) September 12, 2020

Lila taking her inspiration from our Tiwa thread there I see