R&B/Soul: H.E.R.

H.E.R. (which stands for “Having Everything Revealed”) is currently a 5X Grammy nominated artist. She has made her rise out of the shadows with her self titled album “H.E.R.: Vol. 1 & 2”. She has mentioned numerous times that having her identity hidden was for her fans to appreciate her music only and not to focus on her appearance.

The first two songs that I want to talk about is “Focus” and “Best Part” featuring Daniel Caesar both songs were performed at the BET Awards this year. Focus is one of the well known song from her first ever project which is EP Volume 1 (2016). Within this song I appreciated the Harp in the beginning of the song which gives it a heavenly and fairytale vibe. Specifically, during her BET performance she ended the song with her solo on the electric guitar which showcased her talents outside of being a vocalist. “Best Part” won a Soul Train award for the “Best Collaboration Performance.” For her specific performance at the BET awards I appreciated the medley that she performed with Daniel Caesar which turned in to Lauren Hill and D’Angelo’s “Nothing Even Matters”. I love the runs and repetition that both of them use towards the end of the performance because it adds more emotion to the song. Lastly, although her style of delivery in terms of dress is often concealed behind her sunglasses, I appreciate the detail she put into matching the blue and yellow sunglasses with the same colors of her first project “H.E.R.: Volume 1 and 2”. I appreciate the small details.

For the song “Let me in” specifically she, she emphasizes on the first and second beat of the song. All the lyrics of the song imitate the sound of the beat as well. For instance, the beginning of the songs goes like“Ohhh ohhh ohh ohh oooo. Say come over but you won’t let me inn-nn-n-nn-n, inn-nn-n-nnnn. You don’t talk to me you’re too busy living in your he-a-a-a-ed, he-a-a-edd ohhh” In this sing she uses a lot of pitch inflections. Immediately the song makes you want to bop to it and then you listen to the words and how desperate she sounds when singing it. This song is relatable, it has to be one of my favorites from her first project.