Tawana Lael
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Tawana Lael

Atlanta, Georgia, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF

Atlanta, Georgia, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2010
Solo R&B Soul

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Tawana Lael - Journey To Love"

Tawana Lael's Journey To Love is not a religious album. After all, most of the songs deal with how she moves from a bad relationship to a good relationship. Lael takes the listener from a home where a woman is showing her no account man the door, to a club where the singer revels in her new found freedom and then to rarified and exhilarating air of new love.

Of course, embarking on a journey into the unknown is an act of faith. It takes fortitude to overcome betrayal, heartbreak, and uncertainty and ultimately make the decision to trust and love again. Most people who do so are able to call on faith in a higher power and themselves to pick up the pieces and get on with their lives. That is a spiritual journey, and Lael tells the story of that journey in song. She comes with the real and shows anyone going on that journey that it has equal parts of hope and despair, rage and love, sassiness and fear. Those emotions come through in an album that features radio friendly dance tracks, spoken word pieces, walk down the aisle ballads and bedroom anthems. Lael delivers each song with the kind of mature vocals that adult fans expect from their singers. The result is an album that is serious and fun, confident and vulnerable, angry and idealistic. In short Lael gives listeners a record that addresses the most human of all human conditions.

Notable Tracks: Journey To Love, Plan B., Diva Status, I'm Fallin', About Me

Vocals: 3.5 stars
Music: 3.0 stars
Lyrics: 3.0 stars
Production: 3.0 stars
Soultracks call: Recommended

By Howard Dukes



Read more: Tawana Lael | Review - Journey to Love | SoulTracks - Soul Music Biographies, News and Reviews - Soul Tracks


"Tawana Lael "A Brand New Day""

R&B artists get hot coals heaped upon their collective heads for the singular focus they place upon affairs of the heart. It sometimes seems that they continually sing songs about the romantic chronology that begins when the eyes meet from across the room until the relationship culminates in love, sex or the break-ups that are so very hard to do or the reuniting that feels sooo good. Bleek Gilliam, the trumpeter in the Spike Lee film “Mo’ Better Blues,” captures the jaded down with the love song sentiment with his musical declaration “What the world needs now, is…. Not another love song.”

Well vocalist Tawana Lael returns to the musical market with a project brimming with – wait for it – love songs. It would be more accurate to identify the tracks on her new CD A Brand New Day as relationship songs because the 11 tunes on this new project address the joys and trials of that most splendored things. It would also be correct to say that A Brand New Day is a pleasant departure from the type of clichéd and objectifying songwriting that critics say afflicts a lot of mainstream music.

To understand why love songs often elicit eye rolls, turn on the radio. Terrestrial radio will play a ballad by adult oriented acts such as Kem, but around it you will also be forced to wade through songs lifted from the fantasies of 17-year old boys.

Lael is among the vocalists who gears her lyrics toward the adults, while also employing contemporary R&B production. However, technology can’t detract from the virtues that Lael brings to this album. Chief among those virtues is her songwriting and storytelling, which have advanced greatly since her debut album, the solid Journey To Love.

“We Lose” is an example of Lael’s growth as a songwriter who addresses the realities of relationships from a mature perspective. The song’s narrative addresses two people whose relationship has devolved into a contest to see who can win every argument. In this struggle it’s Lael who concedes: “You cry, I cry/Then we both give up/I can’t believe it’s this easy to say/Goodbye/I don’t want to let go/But it’s killing me to stay/I can’t seem to hold on/And all that’s left for me to say is/I give up./I give in/You win/But we lose.”

Lael creatively arranges the album so that the first half A Brand New Day contains cuts such as “We Lose” that address relationships that are in some state of crisis. The second half finds Lael singing about the joy of physical and emotional attraction and the reverie of finally finding that true love. “Crazy Love” combines a vocal arrangement that harkens back to the girl groups of the 1960s with an upbeat percussive instrumental arrangement that is a match for the track’s message about the way that the discovery of new love can alter the mind.

“What It Be Like” brings bass driven old soul feel to a track about another kind of revelation – the realization that despite the best intentions and efforts, a relationship is not progressing. “Sometimes it’s not right or wrong/It’s just what it is when your loving ain’t strong enough/When it’s gone it’s over/And this is what it be like,” Lael sings in the hook in a voice that is filled with recognition rather than rage or regret.

Lael need not offer any explanation or defense for the choice of her subject matter because she is part of a tradition deeply rooted in this nation’s musical heritage. Lyricists and vocalists from all genres have long addressed love and romance.And on A Brand New Day, TawanaLael’s contributions are the basics of good music: a talented vocalist presenting well-crafted songs that sport solid lyrics and stories and really resonate with authenticity. Recommended

By Howard Dukes - Soultracks.com


Discography

Journey To Love
Artist: Tawana Lael
Music by: Sho'tyme
Lyrics by: Tawana Lael
Mixed by: E M J & REuBTRX MuSaQ @ Around The World Records Studios

Photos

Bio

Tawana Lael is a singer, songwriter, producer, and an actress, originally from New York City, but she now calls Atlanta GA home. After years of growing and polishing, Tawana is quickly claiming her place on the world’s entertainment radar. On November 11, 2016, Tawana released her new single “Do Unto Lovers”, which is sure to satisfy the cravings of R&B lovers everywhere.  “Do Unto Lovers” delivers a sexy, yet soulful sound that immediately captivates her audience, and commands their attention.  She uses seductive tones in the beginning of the song, and then before the song is over, Tawana releases her powerhouse vocals, which takes the song to a complete climax. Classic R&B is back, and Tawana Lael is setting the tone! She released her first CD project in 2010 entitled Journey To Love”, and the title track debuted at No. 7 on Mediaguide/Radiowave Urban Satellite Radio; making Tawana the first female artist to do so at that time. To date “Journey To Love” has received over 5000 spins on Internet, Satellite, and Terrestrial Stations.  Tawana has received several honors for her musical talents, which includes being awarded “Best Female R&B Artist” in the 5th Annual GA Music Awards. Her song “In This Love” was nominated “Best R&B/Soul Song” in the 13th annual Independent Awards.  Tawana Lael’s sophomore album “A Brand New Day” released in 2014, was considered in 11 categories in the 57th Grammy Awards. Her single “Addicted” from that CD, debuted at #29 on the National R&B/Hip Hop chart.

 

This gifted vocalist has performed at various venues around New York City, such as The National Black Theatre, Reins, and The Waldof Astoria, just to name a few. Tawana has also appeared at the worlds famous Apollo Theatre, where she won first place five consecutive times.   Since moving to Atlanta GA, audiences have enjoyed listening to Tawana perform at The Underground during The Heritage Arts Festival, Sambuca’s Jazz Café, The Apache Café, Centennial Park, Uptown Restaurant & Lounge, The Blue Room, The Georgia Aquarium, Barley’s, KC Pit Restaurant, and Madlife Stage & Studios.

 


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