……..The result of that self-imposed hiatus, Songversation, makes India.Arie’s fifth studio CD all that her fans will probably expect: the wisdom of womanhood, the polish of an industry vet and unbridled optimism of the re-purposed and newly-recharged.
With the exception of a remake (the effective and evocative reimagining of “Strange Fruit”), practically every song was co-written by India and features the additional assistance of longtime collaborator Shannon Sanders as well as other songwriters like David Ryan Harris and Michael Huff. The inclusion of a decidedly Turkish influence in the strings and percussion may surprise listeners, but that warm, dusky singing style that we’ve come to love and anticipate from Lady Arie never left, as heard in the self-cheerleading uptempo, “Just Do You,” the gentle and regaling tribute, “Cocoa Butter,” ….click here to read the rest at Soultracks.com