Ginette Claudette: ‘Everything’ You’d Ever Need (Summer Grind Issue 2012)

Aside from Twitter, livemixtapes.com and a few other sites are the home for rising indie artists in hip-hop, R & B, and a few other genres. On a perusal of livemixtapes.com I happened across Ginette Claudette. As a male of my species I can openly admit that a beautiful young woman on the album cover was the first draw. I am human, after all. And by my last count we are visual creatures first and foremost.

We LOVE the way things look…

It wasn’t until I looked again that her mixtape, Everything Comin’ Up Roses, that I noticed something else. Her indie mixtape was re-released. Now usually you don’t re-release something unless it was so amazing the first time that it must be shared again. Armed with that knowledge and bolstered by the same I downloaded it and listened to it.

AMAZING!!!

There was something extremely poetic, purposefully elegant about the songs she had put together on this one. It is very rare that eight songs can convey as much emotion and thought as these eight songs did. As you have come to expect from many of my mixtape reviews I will now name out a few of the standout tracks. By virtue of the music itself I am sorely tempted to call the ALL standout tracks but I have, mercifully, decided to give three of my favorites for you to cut your teeth on.

The first track, “Fade”, is a great place to start for both this mixtape and this review. This drum heavy love song manifests itself with Claudette’s voice silky over the amazing rhythm. It is one of those poetic and matter-of-fact tracks about being in love, loving each other, and growing old together (or just…fading). It is no exaggeration to say that everything about this one just works.

“Second Nature” is another drum bound love song. Here she says that ‘loving you has become my everything’. It is an obsession that is based from the purest love as opposed to lust or longing. This leads me to say here that Claudette has created perfect obsession that has none of those pesky destructive side effects.

To be fair and balanced, not all the songs here are love songs.

Of all the tracks the one that most fits that is “Criminal”. It starts with piano keys and an ethereal vocal sample. This song is a heartbroken warning to the next girl from the ex-girl. This is one of those tracks that sound like it's been drawn from life. Women (and men who may have done this) can certainly relate to this track. The hurt collides with her wonderful voice here too well to be a mistake.

Ginette Claudette is one of those indie artists that make me hopeful for the future of music. Be sure to follow her on Twitter. @IamGClaudette.

Courtesy of Lucius Black for Royalty Magazine