Collaboration is a beautiful thing, and modern technology shrinks the world to the point where a kindred spirit is no more than a phone call, text, e-mail or mouse click away – to say nothing of a plane ride. That is the case for the Australian hip-hop trio Variations of Light and Detroit based Grammy nominated singers/songwriter Melanie Rutherford who came together for the neo-soul cut “Petty Love.”
“Petty Love” sounds like a track that could have fit right into what was happening in the late 1990s and early 2000s when artists such as D'Angelo, Groove Theory, Erykah Badu and others were finding unique ways to fuse 1970s era soul with 1990s hip-hop flava. “Petty Love’s” plot serves as a reminder that there is truly nothing new under the sun because modern technology doesn’t create new flaws. It just provides us with a bigger platform to transmit our blind spots to the world.
Collaboration is a beautiful thing, and modern technology shrinks the world to the point where a kindred spirit is no more than a phone call, text, e-mail or mouse click away – to say nothing of a plane ride. That is the case for the Australian hip-hop trio Variations of Light and Detroit based Grammy nominated singers/songwriter Melanie Rutherford who came together for the neo-soul cut “Petty Love.”
“Petty Love” sounds like a track that could have fit right into what was happening in the late 1990s and early 2000s when artists such as D'Angelo, Groove Theory, Erykah Badu and others were finding unique ways to fuse 1970s era soul with 1990s hip-hop flava. “Petty Love’s” plot serves as a reminder that there is truly nothing new under the sun because modern technology doesn’t create new flaws. It just provides us with a bigger platform to transmit our blind spots to the world.
Rutherford puts her man on blast for using social media tools to portray himself as a man of depth who is responsive to his partner. The analog world reality is – let’s just say - somewhat at odds with his digital second life profile.
Variations of Light is a three-piece hip-hop group featuring producer/multi instrumentalist Alnitak Kid, vocalist Nelson Dialect & keyboardist Nate88. They use samples and live compositions to create a soundscape that fuses hip-hop, neo-soul and draws influences from R&B and classic rap to the “brash and experimental.”
Nelson Dialect and Rutherford had worked together in the past and the pair realized that they connected creatively. In “Petty Love,” the two collaborated to create a song that suits her singing style that is an amalgamation of soulful grit and range with a hip-hop influenced edge. Check out the song and video here.
By Howard Dukes
World Premiere!
Variations of Light feat. Melanie Rutherford
"Petty Love"