India Arie’s Testimony: VOL. 1, Life & Relationship

The other day I was listening to XM Satellite Radio and I caught an interview with India Arie regarding the release of her new album, Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship. It’s rare that a radio promotion would cause me to rush out and buy an album, but after previewing several tracks from the LP, it was a no-brainer, I simply had to have it.

I truly believe there’s more to making a great album than just having an amazing voice (and believe me, this girl can sing). But what is most impressive about Arie is that she is a multi-faceted artist who is talented in so many other respects.

By writing and producing much of her own music, she reveals a raw, unedited personal emotion reflecting a truth from deep within her soul. Additionally, she incorporates her ‘Acoustic Soul’ (title of her first album) by displaying her unique talent on the guitar, making her much more than the average diva with a soulful voice.

The album opens with a poignant rendition of the “Serenity Prayer” (note: all recovering addicts and their respective family and friends, this one is a real tear-jerker). It should be noted that throughout her radio interview, Arie made it a point to emphasize that the focus of this album was the expression of her very personal experiences regarding her real-life break-up.

While this might incite some angry or dark genre in many artists, Arie, in her endless pursuit to find the silver lining, expresses such hope and authentic optimism that her heartache is morphed from an intense pain to a positive life experience .

Her first single, “I Am Not My Hair”, is of somewhat typical Arie style with a message very similar to her r&b single from her first album, “Video”. It is a triumphant and soulful declaration about overcoming preoccupations with the external, calling us to search inside rather than out for substance and beauty. The remix version of the song featuring Akon is sure to be an instant hit.

“There’s Hope” is a buoyant, bob-your-head track about just that, hope. Probably the most cheerful song on an album of mixed emotion, the lyrics invoke a “count your blessings” message….”There’s hope, it doesn’t cost a thing to smile, you don’t have to pay to laugh, you better thank God for that.”

The brutally honest lyrics from the song “Good Mourning” focus more on the diva’s break-up. This song presents her slow, emotional evolution from the sorrow of a lost relationship to the hope for a new future, and the transition is truly inspiring. It looks to be my favorite (and her’s, per her interview) on the album.

With her hybrid style deriving from gospel, country (with guitar cameos by Bonnie Raitt and Rascal Flatts), blues, hip-hop and r&b influences, India Arie has masterfully created a third album based on true life events, and the result is inspirational. With her candid lyrics and style, there is no fluff here…this album breathes new meaning into the term, “keepin’ it real”.