Sara Beck
Music For Lovers & Fighters
Smart, sexy, soul-infused pop. For Lovers & Fighters.
"I don't wanna live forever/I just wanna hear the sound/of the dreams that I've been dreaming/lifting off the ground…”
So sings Sara Beck in the opening moments of her new album Music For Lovers & Fighters, a smart, sexy, bold, and infectious collection of songs about love, dreams, and the courage to fight for both. The music is unflinchingly honest and undeniably hooky, the natural byproduct of an artist equally enamored with the soulful storytelling of Stevie Wonder and Carole King and the sensual powers of Prince and Madonna.
Sara says of the album, which she wrote and co-produced, "this is pop music -- deep grooves, moving bass lines, heavy vocal arrangements… as many things as we can conjure up to keep you listening and moving with us. But in the end, I hope the message rings out loud and clear: every moment of our lives requires an act of courage to be truthful to what we believe in. You have to be a little bit of a fighter if you want to keep yourself honest -- there are plenty of people that will encourage you to water yourself down. Don't do it."
The message does come in loud and clear, particularly on songs like "Man Enough," an instant soul classic thick with strings, Wurlitzer, and Sara’s devastating voice asking the simple question: “Are you man enough to love me?” Or "Highs & Lows," where she rides the wave of a relentless bass line and the tightest kick-snare-hat groove since “Billie Jean” and sings about forgetting an ex with the power of a stereo. Another highlight is "To Love Somebody," a song about the importance of giving oneself completely that attracted the attention of Stevie Wonder and has led to guest spots at his concerts and guest appearances on his weekly radio show.
"I’ve been singing, writing, making music my whole life, and I am in love with the creative process -- I am in love with the pursuit of a dream,” says Sara. “They say dreamers never die! So I guess that means I might be immortal after all,” she laughs. “I could live with that...”
Urban/R&B: Neo-Soul