Has anyone heard her new album?
It has a disappointing low-budget cover and irritating neo-soul title - "The Inner Beauty Movement" or something. Next she'll be singing about how she's not the girl on the video etc. etc. Plus I looked inside and behind the CD mount there's this long screed by her record label (new? old?) blaming the lack of success for her first album on September 11. I'm worried about what all this means for the quality of the music.
BUT! It may be the best thing ever. Her first album was. Enlighten me ILM.
― Tim Finney (Tim Finney), Sunday, 24 July 2005 13:14 (twenty years ago)
there are clips of "Inner Beauty Movement" tracks on her site:
http://lina-music.com/
it sounds promising! (even though i'm 100% certain it won't be better than "Stranger On Earth", which is probably my all-time favourite R&B album). she's still doing her charleston thing, and thankfully, it seems she hasn't turned into Indie Arie yet. "It Could Be" is swoooooooonsome.
i've placed my order with Amazon UK weeks ago, but it's on some obscure import and I didn't get it yet and I'm going on my summer holiday in a few days time, so... god knows when I'll hear it properly. but I'm psyched!
― Mind Taker, Sunday, 24 July 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)
four weeks pass...
okay I got it! first off, the bad news: seems like the commercial failure of "Stranger On Earth" has scared Lina away from making club-friendly tracks, so expect no new "Baby Blue"'s. :(
but on the other hand, Lina's oldtime producers Travis House and Jeeve have produced all but one track... so, if you liked the lush ballads from "Stranger On Earth", I'm sure you're gonna enjoy "The Inner Beauty Movement" too! it IS a bit too long and not varied enough to digest in one sitting, but about 80% tracks are class.
of course, now we're familiar with Lina's schtick she doesn't sound as astonishingly fresh, and of course, she's moved away from skippy Timbaland-ish beats along with the rest of R&B. but even with quirkiness toned down, Lina's music is still far, far away from dreary "realness" of neo-soul. and, more often than not, just plain gorgeous.
choice cuts: "This Time", "It Could Be", "Run To Me", "Hope Wish & Pray"
― Mind Taker, Tuesday, 23 August 2005 17:12 (twenty years ago)