A new release from Crystal Shawanda comes through with a powerful and passionately delivered soul-pop and blues approach with vintage tonality and songwriting that come together to create an aesthetic that really feels classic but genuine.
"Would You Know Love" is a bit of a valid style track and comes with lush and full-bodied instrumentation like horn sections, tremolo-riddled guitars, and so much of that classic feel that it all pulls you right in.
When you listen to this track it immediately takes you back to music of the mid-1960s and early 1970s when this sole approach was really big, and it feels good to listen to music like this because you can connect with it.
What grabs you the most is Crystal's vocal approach. She has this beautiful and robust sort of vocal and it is powerful as it oozes soul.
She's got that slightly deep and slightly raspy but beautifully smooth vocal and it makes you think of artists like Tina Turner for example.
She's got that power and can take the tones and approaches influenced by vintage songwriting and spin it into something all her own.
As the track plays on you get hints of Americana, you get some beautiful electric guitar work, and you start to feel some of the different influences coming in.
So, the more the track unfolds, the more diverse it seems to get but it also builds.
Part of the beauty of this track is that it does have that build to intensity and I love how the whole thing has a very warm tone to it. It is strangely comforting and feels like it's wrapping its arms around you and keeping you right where it wants to.
There are harmonies, and a lot of lushness so there's no dead space in this track. It's all filled with color, texture, and tones, and it's all quite beautiful, gracefully performed, and holes you away from whatever you are doing.
This is a single that has a unique way of triggering memories of your own.
It's got a wondrous connectivity element to it and when it's over you want to listen to it again almost immediately.
After I listened to this track a few times I went back to some of her previous work and found a record from 2022 called Midnight Blues which is outstanding.
For me, it was amazing to hear the progression between that record and this single.
This was a release that speaks volumes for Crystal as an artist and shows strides and being able to put out that presence she was born for.
With such a beautiful and powerfully performed single, we had to talk to Crystal about the song, where all of this comes from, and what might be coming next for her.
Here is what happened.
Buzz Slayers: Hey Crystal and thank you for taking some time with us! "Would You Know Love" was an absolute powerhouse vocally! This was thick with soul, and I love the approach!
Can you tell us where this track came from?
My new single “Would You Know Love” was written by Sonny Tackett, and I just
loved it right away. The song sounds somewhere in between, where old meets
new, and the blues meets country, kind of like me. It’s honest, vulnerable and
soulful. When I sing it, I think about who wouldn’t be in my life, if I had let love slip
on by. Because it happens. We get burned and we get weary and sometimes that
makes people walk away from love too easily when it gets tough. We forget that’s
what makes it love. It endures.
Buzz Slayers: I can hear a lot of blues and soul influences in this song. Can you give us some of yourtop musical influences that really changed you?
Some of the biggest influences that changed me early on was Etta James, Mavis Staples, Ko Ko Taylor, and some more recent ones are Beth Hart, Norah Jones, Brittany Howard. I’m drawn to sangers. The kind that can transport you, and you can feel what they are singing.
Buzz Slayers: Do you often draw from your life experiences when writing songs?
Yes, I’m absolutely inspired by my real-life experiences when writing a song. It can be something I experienced years ago, and sometimes I’m inspired by what’s
happening to people that I know. I put myself in their shoes. Usually, I’ve been
there before, so it all becomes a part of the song. Same goes for when choosing a
song to record by another writer, the only way I can record a song is I had to have
gone through it before or something similar, so I have something to pull from. So
that the emotion is real and authentic and not contrived.
Buzz Slayers: Are you performing or planning on any touring now that this track is released?
Yes, we will be touring to promote my new album. We will be announcing my
schedule soon, including some awesome festivals!
Buzz Slayers: Are you already working on any new material as we speak?
Always, always creating! My producer/guitar player is also my husband, Dewayne Strobel. So, we’re always writing, and recording something in our home studio. We’re writing a lullaby album, and a couple other projects and already writing for the next album!
Buzz Slayers: What is next for you as an artist?
What’s next is trying to play as many stages as we can, so we can get this new
music heard! I’m really excited about my new album, to share the stories behind it,
and see how fans relate and what will be their favorites. I want to play some new
stages, and play in places I’ve never been to before. As long as I’ve been in the
business, it’s funny I feel like I’m just finally hitting my stride. I feel comfortable in
my own skin, my own sound, I know who I am as an artist and as a person, my
voice and stage show are stronger than ever, what’s next it to keep that
momentum up and continue to try and better myself than I was yesterday.
Buzz Slayers: Who are you listening to right now? Who is in your headphones?
I’m all over the place, I’m listening to Norah Jones, Joss Stone, Samantha Fish,
Brittany Howard, Joe Bonamassa, Gary Clark Jr, Beth Hart, Yola, Florence and
the machine, Larkin Poe, Chappel Roan, Ping Rose, The North Sound, William
Prince and Miko Marks.
Buzz Slayers: Do you find that recording is more your sweet spot, or performing in front of an audience?
I love all of it, I love the studio because we get to bring our ideas to life and get
creative and there’s so much excitement for the possibilities, as we plant the seed.
I love the stage because we get to feel the energy from the fans, see the reactions
on their faces, see them dance and hear them sing along, and suddenly
everything is okay, because we know we aren’t the only ones. We’re not alone
with what we’ve gone through. Then we get to celebrate because we made it. It’s
all pretty sweet.
Buzz Slayers: This was an impactful single and I hope it reaches the masses the way it deserves! Is there anything you would like to express or say to fans of the music?
Thank you so much for the space and time, and I hope everyone checks out my
new album and comes out to a show sometime.
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