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*It goes without saying that African Americans are in the minority in the country music industry, so whenever I get wind of one, I am usually interested in having a listen. The opportunity presented itself on May 8, when Priscilla Renea, a singer/songwriter who performs a pop/R&B/country hybrid, was the headline performer at the ASCAP “I Create Music” Expo’s Women’s International Music Network “She Rocks” Showcase being held at the OHM Club in Hollywood.
I sat through several lackluster, less than stellar performances and decided that evening I was taking one for them team. I will not say the performers were awful; just not my taste and in my honest opinion, not ready for primetime. Things began looking up when Priscilla Renea took the stage.
She started with, “Gentle Hands,” a nice catchy upbeat country tune from her upcoming album, “Coloured.” The song had me popping my fingers, bobbing my head and bouncing from side to side. Priscilla then showcased her powerful voice with slower songs, including “Lifetime,” a song she co-wrote with her lesbian best friend. Priscilla, who is, “a married straight woman,” shared, “I think that sometimes we for some reason we feel loves feels different than what it is. It feels like love. Whether we agree or not, you can’t disagree that when you love somebody, you have no control over it.” As much as I liked “Gentle Hands” and to a lesser degree “Lifetime,” she performed a song called, “Millennials” that was completely lost on me. Maybe because I am not a millennial, but a song about pop tarts, video games, the Internet and the like was not my cup of tea; however, I will admit the whistling part of the song was pretty cool. Maybe I would appreciate it more if I were a millennial.
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Although I had never heard of her, Priscilla Renea has been around for a minute. At the “She Rocks” Showcase, she mentioned ten years ago, she was where the audience was that evening, i.e., trying to get started. She actually got discovered on YouTube and offered to listen to anyone who approached her with material already on YouTube or Sound Cloud. Priscilla also relayed a rough start moment; she shared her CD with Neyo and was following him to the next event, only to see the CD flying out the window over her car as she drove by. She said, “You learn how to be strong; how to be your own critic, learn how to correct it. Obviously, it must have been trash that’s why he threw it out.”
I don’t know what was on the CD Ne-Yo threw out the window; however, I do know Priscilla Renea has a really good voice. When I brainstormed reasons her first CD, which was released in 2009, only sold 5,000 copies, the answer I came up with is there is not enough of a market for hybrid country/R&B/Rock. If Priscilla wants to be a commercial success, she may need to consider being country, rock or R&B, but not all three. If she wants to stay true to her hybrid craft then that is okay as well, as long as the potential results are understood.
I loved Priscilla’s voice and hope her upcoming album, Coloured, is a commercial success. Look for the album release on June 22 and also follow her on Instagram @priscillarenea.
Marilyn Smith is a Los Angeles based writer/reviewer. Contact her via [email protected]
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