barryorchestra presents...2020: A Playlist - #45.
#45. “DYING 4 YOUR LOVE” by Snoh Aalegra
Snoh Aalegra continues to deliver some of the highest quality R&B I’ve heard in recent years consistently. Coming all the way from Sweden, and having been signed ever since she was 13 years old, she’s put in lots of hard work to get where she is now. In recent years she’s become a go to artist to sample, feature on a hook of a hip hop record, or duet with. Stylistically she’s a pure descendant of Alicia Keys (just try to tell them apart on this recent duet), but she has done enough with her sound to set her apart from her influences. Her initial EP, “Don’t Explain”, along with her debut album “Feels”, found her swimming in the sounds of the past like Billie Holiday, and other blues and soul legends...shined up with a light modern touch of hip hop and ambient production. Since then she has completely moved into a more modern sound, and has sharpened her songwriting as well.
“DYING FOR YOUR LOVE” is a mental meditation on a failing relationship. The dynamics have changed, but her lover still wants everything to remain the same. The confusion and the frustration of the breakdown of understanding troubles her, especially when she has been honest and open the whole time. At the end of it all, all she wanted was love and still wasn’t able to receive it. Maybe it’s because I love her voice. Or maybe I like the slow burn of the melody and the groove paired together. Or maybe it’s because this song sounds exactly like what I felt in the breakdown of my relationship/friendship with my ex. Whatever the case, this song hit me square in the face when I heard it, and I haven’t been able to stop running it back.