Watching the video to KeiyaA’s latest release, Negus Poem 1 & 2, is like stepping back to the early 90s in New York. Taken from her debut album Forever, Ya Girl, the song highlights the Chicago-bred, New York-based singer/producer/multi-instrumentalist’s main weapon: her voice. She joins an illustrious list of female R&B singers – from Erykah Badu to Macy Gray, from Lauren Hill to Alicia Keys – who can really stamp a unique vocal sound on their music. But KeiyaA is not just a singer. She also composes and produces all of her material. There is a loneliness in that approach and it is reflected in the melancholy of her arrangements. The music soothes, but there is a feeling she would rather be somewhere or “somewhen” else.
