I'm keeping the promise I made on my last song feature - I'm really excited to cover a song by Mamilah that I haven't let go of ever since it first came out. And for good reason - "Speak Freedom" is an astonishingly soulful laid-back jam.

The drums are warm and mellow, yet punchy; the brass section, consisting of the trumpet and saxophone is full of emotion and dynamic. Being the instrumental foundation of the track, the guitars, keys and bass keep the whole piece grounded, while serving as a beautiful backdrop for the central element of the track - the vocals. Frontwoman Lydia Kotsirea's vocal performance on "Speak Freedom" is nothing short of mesmerizing. The natural-sounding vibrato, the touching tenderness of the storytelling and the sheer skill of her vocal range all collectively feel like the cherry on top of Mamilah's already beautiful musical style.

It's hard to put a genre label on Leads-based 7-piece band, since their sound palette is so diverse and colorful, but neo-soul, nu-jazz and r&b would definitely be some keywords to go off of. "Speak Freedom" is the third track off their "Talk Less" EP, which, by the way, is an essential modern jazz-soul record in my opinion...

...And when I referred to the track as an impressive lush-sounding "jam", I really said that for a reason. Here's an amazing remote recording of the whole band performing "Speak Freedom" for your listening and viewing pleasure:

posted by Chris
March 2021