Latanya Alberto asserts that "Home is a state of mind" on her latest EP Home. That is the overarching theme of the project that follows her 2021 debut EP The Royal Escape. The Dutch singer-songwriter continues to delight with elements of soul, R&B and jazz in her music and her smooth, angelic vocals.
The first song on Home, “Take Care Of You (Intro),” sets the tone for the rest of the EP. It is a petition where she asks the Most High for knowledge and the skills she needs to help others. The song ends with a bit of spoken word that segues right into the next track.
“Futurity” follows, and it is the banger of this project with Latanya’s vocals floating over a funky bassline, tight drumbeat and melodic background vocals. The lyrics indicate that she refuses to let the way things are going change her approach to life and her values. "For as far as I can see / I’m living the fast life despite / Futurity / Can’t let it walk all over me yeah / Duty is radical / To balance it out I’ll be critical," she sings.
A mélange of piano, drums, bass and horns drive “Being Loved” as Latanya sings about the challenges of being ready to love and be loved. “Sunrise” is a sultry number with lyrics about accountability in a relationship that belie its slinky sound. Meanwhile, the track “Duality” surprisingly ends with a voiceover of a motherly lecture that is equal parts tough love and wisdom.
On “Miss Chance,” the final song on the EP, Latanya sings about how she lets her woman’s intuition direct her, because sometimes what appears to be the best choice isn’t. "They say the lady is always right / That’s how I know that fate directs from the inside / Bottom of the list / Screaming in the rain / Are chances that I missed / Really meant for me?" she wonders.
Home is complemented by a short film directed by Ashley Röttjers that features Latanya and her band performing “Take Care Of You,” “Futurity” and “Miss Chance” live. Instead of a regular stage or set, however, the setting for the visual is the interior of a building with stunning architecture that looks straight out of a Savage X Fenty fashion show or Solange video.
The film begins with Latanya walking alone in a dimly lit curved hallway singing "Take Care Of You" accompanied only by the sounds of an acoustic guitar. She's then seen riding in a glass elevator and soon joins her bandmates to sing “Futurity.” The acoustic vibes continue here, this time with a bass providing the musical backdrop for Alberto and her background singers. The scene then cuts to her sitting on a wall bench and reciting some of the spoken word verses that begin the song. Latanya makes her way back to the ground floor to rejoin her band to sing “Miss Chance” before the artistic visual ends.
Latanya Alberto’s Home is introspective, thought-provoking and welcoming. Home is not only a state of mind for the artist, but it's where her heart is. As good as she sounds on the EP and singing live in the short film, it will be easy to make room for her in yours.
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