L.O.V.E - LADY SANITY ft. JAY ALEXZANDER
Review by Resolution Records
The hype around Birmingham MC Lady Sanity is growing - and with good reason. As her sideboard creaks under the weight of trophies from GRM Daily and the Birmingham Music Awards, and with appearances at Glastonbury and the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony in Australia under her belt, she is now being heavily featured on BBC Radio. Her new single L.O.V.E premiered on 1Xtra just this past Friday, followed by an appearance on Sanity fan Lady Leshurr’s show the next day - while influential rap site UKHH have sternly warned us not to sleep on the Erdington MC.
After a busy 2020 that saw the release of two major projects (the Lying In Truth EP and A Problem Shared with Cuzn Fred) and a thrilling collaboration with DJ Zinc that lit up a Saturday morning for Soccer AM viewers, L.O.V.E marks Sanity’s first single of 2021. And it’s no surprise that the versatile rapper has, yet again, embraced a new direction, trading in her trademark ferocity for an altogether smoother vibe.
Technically, the track is sound. The production from edbl is nocturnal, crisp and textured, with a nice fluid emphasis on the multiple layers and a keen sense of feel in the instrumental. In this landscape, hip-hop and neo-soul blend with a tinge of jazz rap and conscious lyrics, with a sumptuous production style and some nice instrumental flourishes.
Performance-wise, Sanity brings an almost effortless flow, calmly expressing herself with crystal clarity, and her showing here is indicative of a real talent on the mic. On her track Fro’z, she spoke of having “a heart full of anger and a mind full of Zen”, but it’s the ancient Japanese philosophy that fittingly trumps rage on this meditative outing. Also appropriately, the hook is mantric in every sense, Jay Alexzander adding to a mellow fruitfulness that harks way back to Sanity’s 2016 Summer In September mixtape.
“I really wanted to focus on more than the romantic aspect of love” she says. ‘With all the madness happening in and around the world right now I think it’s important to focus on self-love and how we display and respect each other’s emotions.”
If it’s wise words you’re after, they don’t come much wiser than from the pen of Lady Sanity. Deep it.