Lalah Hathaway: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert

July 25, 2018, Felix Contreras Lalah Hathaway comes from royalty: Her late father Donny Hathaway s voice was crucial for my generation, setting the bar for inspired, oldschool soul singing. But living in that kind of shadow can also be a burden, robbing the offspring of an identity apart from that of the famous parent. The younger Hathaway s appearance behind the Tiny Desk pulls back the curtain a bit for a closeup encounter with her powerfully expressive voice. The lower registers always draw me in, and in Change Ya Life, Hathaway s dusky contralto paints an exciting portrait of blissful cohabitation but on her terms. I m going to teach you how to treat me like I deserve, she sings, adding, I ll give you the She draws on a tradition of romance and sensuality in the best soul music, but with a feminist twist that eschews oldschool, malecentric lyrics and attitudes. Lyrics alone do not convey that kind of spirit. It s in Hathaway s delivery selfassured yet vulnerable. Boston, her