(September 19, 2023) I remember the first time I listened to Goapele. It was the early 2000s when her debut album, Closer, dropped. I found her voice to be mesmerizing, both angelic and sensually conversational. She didn’t sound like anybody else. That level of uniqueness could end up being a mixed blessing in the copycat music industry. It meant people didn’t know how to peg her.
The daughter of a South African political activist who was exiled from that country for his anti-apartheid work, Goapele spent her childhood attending protests in the Oakland area. That has resulted in a lifetime of social activism that can often be heard in her music, which was not something that many R&B artists were doing in the early 2000s.
(September 19, 2023) I remember the first time I listened to Goapele. It was the early 2000s when her debut album, Closer, dropped. I found her voice to be mesmerizing, both angelic and sensually conversational. She didn’t sound like anybody else. That level of uniqueness could end up being a mixed blessing in the copycat music industry. It meant people didn’t know how to peg her.
The daughter of a South African political activist who was exiled from that country for his anti-apartheid work, Goapele spent her childhood attending protests in the Oakland area. That has resulted in a lifetime of social activism that can often be heard in her music, which was not something that many R&B artists were doing in the early 2000s.
Gaopele’s honeycombed voice makes her well-suited to sing ballads like “Romantic,” which appeared on her debut and “Purple,” her latest, which is featured in this First Listen. Goapele’s vocals float over a lush arrangement that features synths and rock guitars mashed up in a slow, grinding melody that is suited for slow dancing or intimate conversation.
Lyrically, “Purple” expresses the sentiments of a person who is ready and willing to surrender to the emotions that she is feeling. Check out Goapele’s latest, “Purple” here.
By Howard Dukes
Goapele - "Purple"