About two years ago, I was scanning local radio on my way to work when I felt like I was awakened by a wet high five to my cheek letting me know that I have to look elsewhere to enjoy my laborious ride each day. Each station either had disc jockeys telling inside jokes like their audience had any idea what in the hell they were talking about, bills were being paid, or music was playing with lyrical content that could have been concocted in a junior high music class with a substitute teacher.

I realized in order to enjoy the pollution burrowing inside my eardrums, I would need to love bling, drugs, various synonyms for degrading females, and scorned women that have been betrayed. This triggered my purchase of an iPod, and the search for music absent from hip-hop and R&B’s top twenty chart began.

Initially, I had a small collection of neo-soul music. But with the emergence of such artists as Anthony Hamilton, Leela James, Dwele, and Amy Winehouse, I have developed a solid foundation. Recently, I added Chrisette Michele to my list of approved artists getting regular play with me as the dj.

Michele’s debut album titled, “I Am” is inspiring. The New York based artist demonstrates the ability to sing about the positive side of life in relationships. At times, I have damn near given up on the reality that love can still exist the way I was introduced to it as a child through Smokey Robinson, Diana Ross and Brenton Wood, but this album reminded me otherwise. Michele lingers consistently on the theme of love.

Her Christian background appears to have profoundly affected her approach to writing music. The ninth of thirteen tracks on Michele’s cd should redden even the blackest of hearts. Completely ignoring the fad depicting the cheating man deservedly being punished by the girlfriend, “Golden” is about a woman ready to give everything she has to the man of her dreams. She doesn’t have to remind him to be faithful or threaten to remove his genitalia if he fails to adhere to her rules. Simply put, she is ready for love.

On the fourth song, Michele again sings of a relationship dominated by fervor for her male interest. In “Your Joy,” she loves being his smaller equal. Ranging from gazing eyes, holding hands, and mirroring footsteps, you feel her love. You feel her need for him. Her voice is captivating. She sings with zeal.

In an effort to push the message that each woman can be a “Good Girl” as indicated in the song title, Michele sings of relationships having more depth than a car, the width of a man’s wallet, and his endowment. Love is blind to these elements, and she presses her message by denouncing these notions for a life fulfilled with facets often avoided on mainstream radio: amour.

Michele’s music is produced the way she wants, and not by producers trying to emulate the hottest songs on the radio lacking content extending beyond self-adoration or character deception. She brings a consciousness needed to combat the senselessness plaguing the art of music.

The unfortunate side of trying to write and sing about the realities of “normal” life and love is exposed in her substandard sales numbers. After two weeks, Michele has only sold 40,200 albums. She will be fortunate for her album to reach “gold” status. Considering the talent she exhibits throughout her cd, these numbers are a reminder that the American audience tends to be allured by catchy hooks and bass dominated club beats.

It appears the days of authentic music are facing extinction. If Chrisette Michele can’t evoke deep emotions to emerge through her creative lyrics for this generation, then I will take the stance my father took with me, and ask my children, “What ever happened to music that was worth listening to?”

By: Trent Hensley