"In order to understand where you're going you have to learn where you've been."I've always wanted to be mellow deep in my writing so this George Santayana quote about how history repeats itself was perfect. Once upon a time I went to TGM's first show and saw Kärma perform. Although intoxicated I told her that I'd check out her catalog and listen to her because she was talented. I left away impressed and continued to cover her future releases but today I flashed back to Life After Love, one of the earlier projects in her discography. Take a trip with me.
The Jersey City by way of Dallas artist begins things with a minute long a capella jazzy scatty introduction. It really shows off how good she is engineering and looping the variety of sounds. The concept of the project starts with track two Farewell. Here she paints a picture where we all have been in between relationships reminiscing the good times and how we still have to move on. This is going to be a theme in Life After Love. Kärma takes jabs at being an emcee and rapping over a classic boom bap beat in Sometimes. The singing resumes in the hooks and the rest of the verses and bridge. Hung^ Interlude is one of my favorites on the project. Long for an interlude but the song is really only a few lines in repetition.
"Boy you know your love has got me so, I don't know where no matter where I go, I'm lying if I didn't ask you for more you got me hung up."
When Framed begins I expected this one to be a bedroom banger. It's safe to say I had my mind in the gutter, nothing new for them. Repeat I heard before at a show. Still nice to hear in rotation. Smile serves as her lead single. I especially like this track because I feel like I could play this around our generation and my parents could get down to this. Smile is actually really deep and a lesson to my unborn children to follow her dreams and two step smiling while doing it. Dedication Outro closes out the tape. I had to listen to this maybe like three or four times because I got caught up in what she was whispering in my headphones. It was on a Alicia Keys/Mos Def You Don't Know My Name tip. I still couldn't tell you what was going on. Great decrescendo for a project.It's not too many artists that have the full package and Kärma does. Seems like she always did, and you just had to go back and listen like I have. At times it sounds like she was singing far away from the microphone. I don't know if that was the plan to cause an effect for the music or just a rookie mistake. All in all I'm just a perfectionist and it didn't take away from the listening experience. I give Life After Love a 4.1 of 5 stars on the Ramsey Rating Scale. Listen to the eight track project below after the break.
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