
The album's opening song 'Smooth Music' is a perfect way showcase Timotha Lanae's various musical flavours. On it she not only literally introduces herself, but sings the lines "A touch of jazz, r&b, soul and hip hop too. I mix these all together and make my own groove" which pretty much sums up the whole record. The influences from all the mentioned genres are evident throughout and her vocal style is reminiscent of Jill Scott. She belongs in that mould of the female modern soul/r&b singers who obviously have a love and a feel for jazz and incorporate those sensabilities in their rendering of the material.I can imagine her being a huge fan of Anita Baker, along with the usual greats, Billie, Ella, Sarah etc. Speaking of the material, it should be noted that Ms Lanae wrote 10 of the 12 tracks on the album. No mean feat as the high standard obtained throughtout 'Red' never falters.

One look at her videos and you can tell instantly that this lady does indeed have a background in theatre. They seem to tell a story and she has a sense of where she belongs in the world and refuses to forget what has happened in the past, at least in America. There is a constant sense of looking back while looking forward. The visuals are both interesting and intriguing, begging you to to inquire about the backstory of each song. So it seems quite natural to learn Timotha has written a play called REDdington which I believe will feature some of the music found on the album. If that magical combnation of soul, r&b, jazz and hip hop is your thing, you should do as I did, and make the acquaintance of Ms Lanae and her fabulous album 'Red'. You will feel the more better for it.
For good measure, here's the video for 'Talkin To Myself':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFqGmYIH4Ec