Lorraine Reid: How Can I Keep Him Lovin' Me?
A Review by Mark Kirby
Over a decade ago, rappers Chuck D and Public Enemy asked, "Who Stole
the Soul?" Today, after Christina Aguilera's R&B-infused Back To
Basics double CD and the Amy Winehouse soul explosion, the real
question is, "Who stole it back?" Part of the answer can be found in
Lorraine Reid's single "How Can I Keep Him Lovin' Me?"
It always comes as a surprise when I hear a modern R&B singer who has
both the pipes to belt out with intensity and the good taste to let
the song tell the story, choosing to not over-saturate a classic
melody with vocal gymnastics. Reid dazzles her listeners with the
perfect balance of vocals, just like the classic soul, rock and pop
singers did back in the day. This timeless track by the Canadian, 7-
time Juno nominee would fit right in with the best of soul and funk in
any age.
"How Can I Keep Him Lovin' Me?" begins to amaze listeners with its
instrumentals -- the keyboard starts with mellow soul chords and is
followed by gently plucked guitar and sparse bass that flows with
restrained energy even while in ballad mode. The drums play a beat
that has previously anchored old pop and soul songs as well as bawdy
stripper show tunes; it's a beat that is part-waltz, part-easy-going
phat back groove. While this stew is bubbling, Ms. Reid tells the
story: "No more than 15 but grown before her time / This young girl
was seekin' love from men who would dim the lights / How can I keep
him lovin' me? / Here she was still seeking love / it was no where to
be found." Aside from the modern beat of the drums and the
contemporary soul sound, the track is undeniably old school because it
deals with real people and real-life issues, concepts that are often
lost in mainstream music today.
The sales of R&B records -- as with those of hip-hop and most other
genres -- continue to slump. Illegal downloads aside, the vast
majority of these records deal with unattainable fantasies of sex,
glamour, white linen suits and matching Bentleys. People who have just
been laid off, had their benefits run out, or their home foreclosed
don't want to hear about such lavish topics. And they can't even
afford to buy overpriced CDs, anyway. That's why real people,
especially women, like Mary J. Blige's tales of being a survivor. Like
Blige, Reid tells a tale of survival and, like the best soul and
gospel singers, past and present, she goes beyond this simple tale:
"At 22, a mom of two, but she was still a child / Her mama's advice to
her was a message meek and mild / what this baby boy sees in you I
tried my whole life to find / so dry your tears, my baby girl, you're
lookin' at piece of mind." Throughout the song, Reid's vocals follow
the lyrics and melody on a rollercoaster of emotion, saving the
soaring peaks of her sweet yet powerful voice for the pinnacles of the
song, especially the last lines. By the end of "How Can I Keep Him
Lovin' Me?", the sadness becomes both redemption and a spiritual
epiphany -- all because of the power of love. Now ain't that what soul
music is all about?
http://www.myspace.com/lorrainereid
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