Zawandi – “Can’t Let You Go” and “Sweet”

Singer and songwriter Zawandi grew up in Jamaica Queens N.Y. She has been singing since the age of 2 and has taken her influences from the likes of Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan, Stephanie Mills and many others. Zawandi recently dropped her first single “Can’t Let You Go”, which is taken from her debut project “It’s Time”, set to be released soon. On her new track, the songstress is at once sultry and understated, backed by an atmospheric musical setting that maintains the essence of the classic blended with modern nuances.

Zawandi provides the perfect midpoint between vets like Gladys Knight and Chaka Khan and millennial divas like Mary J. Blige and Keyshia Cole. It’s old-school soul with a nice smattering of contemporary flavor.

Very few R&B and Soul singers have what it takes to be a real star. The ones who do get a hit either become a pop phenomenon or fizzle away into one hit wonder history. There are also very few R&B and Soul singers who can blend other genres of music without spreading themselves too thin. And then there is Zawandi.

This is a woman that sings and writes with the kind of passion that takes your breath away. Her talent as both a songstress and storyteller is what sets her apart from so many other singers.

Zawandi has a voice that can make you feel nostalgic about a lover who has left as on you. She can make you feel bad at the idea of wanting to leave someone else, and she can simply make you feel happy about being in deeply love, which is what she does on “Can’t Let You Go”.

From the moment she sings the opening bars, Zawandi has the audience in her pocket. She is both energizing and engaging to listen to, as the song finds her performing with an open heart, narrating her innermost sentiments.

“Can’t Let You Go” introduces Zawandi to the public as a soulful vocalist with powerful pipes and an innate nuance for musicality. She has no major label shackles, which allows Zawandi to hit her creative stride. She rides the beat with smooth precision, her voice simultaneously full of joy and starry-eyed love.

Actually, listening to this single, it’s quite hard to believe that she is only on her debut as Zawandi sings with the confidence of a veteran. In a firmament that seems to be so overcrowded with R&B and Soul diva stars, along comes the excellence of Zawandi who shows that she has all the requisites to stand in a class by herself. While the feeling of her music is alluring and true, the result is infectious.

OFFICIAL LINKS: WEBSITE – INSTAGRAM – GOOGLE PLAY – ITUNES