Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Album Review of Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship by India.Arie.
Home » R&B » Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship
Release Date: Jun 27, 2006
Record label: Universal
Genre(s): R&B, Soul
Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship - Average, Based on 2 Critics
India.Arie's third album would've sounded much different if it had been recorded and released shortly after 2002's Voyage to India. It would've either been made just before or immediately after a major breakup, one that informs much of Testimony: Vol. 1, Life & Relationship. This isn't a bitter breakup album; instead, it's largely a breakup album that instead involves forgiveness, closure, and -- of course -- the kind of soul searching that Arie's fans have come to expect.
Three years ago, the Grammy-winning Voyage Around India proved India.Arie was more than just the troubled conscience of the neo-soul scene. Now she's out to show she can live without love with Testimony: Vol 1, a long, bumpy journey through the death of a relationship and Arie's emergence into womanhood. A confessional that falls in the cracks between Jack Johnson's acoustic naivety and Lauryn Hill's hip-hop-influenced honesty, Arie's smooth, husky voice isn't enough to forgive the jaw-dropping simplicity and clumsiness of her songs.
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