“I never listened to my own music before ever,” laughs the thirty-three year old singer about her two previous LPs, Bravebird (2004) and Infinite Possibilities (2000). “I would always think of a million things that I could have done differently.”
But now, she and her husband, Laru, (who co-produced much of her music) have perfected their method of creating what Larrieux simply labels “Amel’s music” - songs with memorable grooves and honest lyrics that can transcend her own single experience. “It’s always been just about making a song that sticks in someone’s head and touches someone’s heart,” she says. “That’s my goal.”
right And now that Larrieux is more comfortable in her own skin - and more confident in her vocal and writing abilities - she can proudly say that she loves every single track on her third solo album, Morning, which hits shelves on April 25.
“This is the first time where I can say that I don’t have my ‘baby’ on the album,” says Larrieux. “That’s what makes me feel like I’m just coming into myself in a way that I never have before.”
In the tradition of her first two albums, Larrieux wrote all the songs on Morning and continues to blend an array of musical genres - R&B, soul, hip hop, jazz, folk, and even Middle Eastern, West African, and Indian - to create her own sound. And again, she and her husband don’t seek any help from outside writer or producers. “I’m a firm believer in the old saying ‘If it ain’t broke don’t fix it,” she says. “And I feel like this collaboration has given me the sound that people can identify with.”
However this new album does take things back to the basics a little bit. “It’s still very vocal driven and groove driven,” she says. “But the rest is completely stripped down to nothing but a bass and a beat.”
Morning is only the second album produced on Larrieux’s three-year-old independent record label, Bliss Life, but she’s already reveling in the increased exposure that the small staff has allowed her. “I’ve had huge marquees in Times Square and at the Virgin Megastore in New York’s Union Square,” she says. “I never had a marquee once when I was at a major label.”
Though she hopes that this album will bring her more visibility, Larrieux is happy with the dedicated following that she has amassed so far. A lot of her fans have supported her since her Groove Theory days, and are thankful for the “breath of fresh air” that she provides, and more importantly, that she doesn’t have to bare her skin to sell records.
Since stepping on the scene back in 1991 wearing African head wraps and dresses made in Harlem dress shops, Larrieux has consistently forged her own style, and was never into anything extra trendy. “If I hadn’t set a precedent in my Groove Theory days, then I would constantly be feeling like my image was in limbo with the changing times,” she explains.
People close to her say she’s a nonconformist, and they’re probably right, she says. But that’s what she thinks her fans love about her the most - the fact that they can depend on her to not follow the norm. “I’m the alternative to the thing that’s so easy to get,” she laughs. “It’s predictable, but in an unpredictable way.”
Read more vibe.com online exclusives.
home
