Lady: Two Soul Stalwarts Find A New Groove Together
By
Oliver Wang |
NPR
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or
Flash plugin.
R&B singers Nicole Wray and Terri Walker have teamed up as the duo Lady.
Courtesy of the artist
R&B singers Nicole Wray and Terri Walker both had promising starts to their careers more than ten years ago. Wray came up on the Virginia coast under the wing of mentor Missy Elliott. Walker, a Londoner, was classically trained yet released her debut on a Def Jam subsidiary. Both enjoyed early critical success but by decade's end struggled to find a wide audience. Instead, they found each other.
Longtime fans of Wray or Walker may not instantly recognize them: In their new work as Lady they've traded in slick, hip-hop influenced R&B styles for a decidedly throwback feel. Working with the house band from New York's Truth & Soul Records, Lady nails that magic formula of sweet vocal stylings anchored by the heavy thump and growl of a crack rhythm section. It's an update on the classic sound of early 1970s Memphis soul: part Sunday-morning glory, part Saturday-night slow grind.
Lady's break from the past lies in the duo's tag-team vocals. Walker's more robust and throaty power contrasts with the subtle, raspy edge of Wray's voice. Together, they create a beguiling blend of overlapping harmonies and attitudes.
We've become so conditioned to hearing solitary pop and soul divas that the idea of two women sharing a mic feels more surprising than it probably should. Still, the partnership between Nicole Wray and Terri Walker provides a real joy, the way their voices weave under and atop one another. As a team, the ladies of Lady have added up to something singular.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
View this story on npr.org
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today