What I love about soul is that you never have to prepare yourself for it. You don't have to be on the dance floor, or the beach, or suffering through an emotional state; soul is an anytime, anywhere kind of fire for the mind, body and heart. For that reason, I'm always happy to stumble upon a rising indie-soul star.
"Taunt" is the debut single from NYC's Natasha Alexander. The beatstrumental backing knows its place, moving along at just the right pace to carry the vocals. Let's be clear -- the focus is most definitely on the vocalist. The brief moments when the music disappears are some of the most arresting, though 'arresting' seems a strong word for a song that slips on and off like a daydream.
Alexander grew up sharing her gifts in church and school musicals on Manhattan's Lower East Side. With the educational support of a musical family and stacks of vinyl, and after studying opera and classical, the singer decided to become a songwriter in order to have control over the end result.
Borrowing beats from the likes of Flying Lotus and Madlib, Natasha produced her EP, Super, which was released March 9, 2013. Follow Alexander on SoundCloud or Facebook to hear more and download the EP for free here.