A couple of months ago, I was fortunate enough to be a member of the audience as Marian Mereba performed at Moods Music. Packed from the front door to the back wall, we all watched as Ms. Mereba strummed her guitar, soothing the room with selections from her exquisite acoustic Room For Living EP (released on Valentine's Day 2013).
The audience--what's some would refer to as the "neo-soul" crowd--clapped politely after every song and even sang along to one, but in terms of the performance as a whole, they responded the same way that I'd seen a crowd in the AUC respond once before: they were essentially confused.
For some, the contemporary music soundscape is a simple yet outdated binary: there's the underground and then there's the mainstream; there's R&B and then there's rap; there's black music and there's white music; ratchet and conscious, etc. But, when an artist like Marian Mereba comes along with a number of influences ranging from Bob Dylan to Bob Marley, there are bound to be a few people left scratching their heads.
Which leads us to the video for "September," the island-flavored(and ForteBowie produced) first single from Mereba's Radio Flyer LP. Directed by Nate Edwards, the video takes the song's jilted lover dynamic and amplifies it, as Marian goes...well, I'd rather you see for yourself.
But, what's most remarkable about the song is how it could double as an address to the general public that misconstrues her art (I know it's a stretch, leave me alone). That being said, do yourself a favor and check it out. Don't be one of "those" people.
-@iTravelinDenim
