Latifa Reeves Finds Strength, Healing and Redemption in “River”
“The past may have its scars but it doesn’t have to determine what happens next. On ‘River’ Latifa Reeves turns survival into an expression of hope, of faith and of renewal.”
Latifa Reeves has a lifetime of experience, emotion and personal insight to draw on for “River” which is a very moving song about the journey from pain to healing. It doesn’t offer an easy solution to the problems we all face. It recognises just how much trauma, addiction, heartbreak and loss can affect you. It’s not about denying that those things have ever happened. It’s about finding the strength to go on without letting the past be the master of your life. In terms of its themes of surrender, redemption and spiritual rebirth, “River” is a very personal statement from Latifa as a solo artist.
The song kicks off with the very evocative line “I was born in a storm, the rusty spoon in my mouth”. That immediately sets the scene in terms of the difficult circumstances at the heart of the story. Latifa is very aware that not everyone starts life on an equal footing and that some people are simply thrust into the reality of hardship before they’ve got the tools to really understand it. That’s what gives the song such emotional resonance. She doesn’t treat survival as some kind of theoretical concept. She’s singing from the point of view of someone who’s lived it, who’s experienced the darkness and the struggle. The river is the central image of the song. “Take me to the river, pull me under water, cleanse my soul” is the kind of line that speaks of wanting to get rid of all that’s been carried around for so long. Water is the image of cleansing and of surrender and the search for something deeper is the search for faith, for truth and for a new sense of purpose. “I’m a vessel light and I’m coming alive” is a pivotal line in the song. After all the weight of what’s happened to her, she’s now in a position to be something more than what has happened to her. It’s that move from being vulnerable to being resolute that gives the song its direction. Latifa’s musical influences also go some way to explaining the nature of this record. She’s a fan of Grace Potter, Susan Tedeschi and Teddy Swims and those are the kind of performers who have real conviction in their voice, real character and a real sense of vulnerability. Those are the artists that feed into her own roots in soul, blues, gospel and classic rock. Those are all genres that allow for a very strong emotional performance and that’s exactly what she wants to achieve with this song. It’s not just about telling you that you can get through the tough times, it’s about making you feel that that message is absolutely vital.
It’s Jim McGorman again who’s behind the production. He’s been Latifa’s producer since she was 23 and produced her very first demo cassette. To have him back after all these years is in itself quite special. Jim’s production and musical direction are a big part of this, as are the contributions of Robb Vallier (songwriter and engineer), Steve Fekete (guitar), Marc Slutzky (drums) and Kitten Kuroi (backing vocals). It was recorded in Jim’s LA studio and is very much a record that Latifa has made for herself, without any attempt to conform to anyone else’s idea of what she should be. For Latifa “River” is a very important moment in her return to her core musical self. Having spent many years as a co-founder and co-front woman of Mama Said and then having gone on to do a whole other thing with the children’s project Tika Tika Time, she’s now at a point where she’s stepping forward as her own artist. Her experience of playing at BottleRock Napa Valley and opening for The War and Treaty and Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs has been a big part of the performer that she is today. She’s now getting ready to play her new material with her band Latifa Reeves and the Justice. What’s so powerful about ‘River’ is that it absolutely refuses to let darkness be the end of the story. Latifa knows that healing doesn’t mean you forget the past. She also believes that the dark experiences you go through don’t have to be the end of the road. Her final thought about not having to start again, but rather to rise with everything that life has given you, is absolutely the essence of the release. ‘River’ is more than just an introduction to her solo chapter, it’s a statement of intent from an artist who is absolutely ready to take her experiences and turn them into music that will connect, inspire and give hope.
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