
Powerful and wild, yet controlled and passion-filled, Brenda Russell’s “You Know What It’s Like,” is a song that is equally comfortable in a jazz club as it is on MAINSTREAM radio.
Powered by Russell’s timeless vocals and production by Brian Alexander Morgan (SWV, Usher, Lalah Hathaway, Missy Elliott and Eric Benet) and “You Know What It’s Like” is able to serve as a reminder of Russell’s vocal prowess and attract a brand new audience.
The song, however, is far from created in a songwriting lab of today. Its roots come from a legend. Co-written by icon Roberta Flack, the track’s lyrics hit hard and it makes itself immediately recognizable:
“Your smile is amazing/I miss you the moment that you’re gone from my arms. . .a fire I’ve waited for so long. . .But you know, you know what it’s like/When love feels, everything feels right, so right.”
The song is a special one for another reason as it, in a sly way, references her 1979 debut single, So Good (So Right).
With these odes to her classic work and its connection to Flack, the track obviously has the DNA to be a good one, but it’s Russell that takes it to higher ground. It’s impossible to think that her voice hasn’t aged at all since 1979, but there’s still that essence of the youth so many loved still present in her sound.
Don’t believe us? Listen to “So Good (So Right)” and then this one and you’ll understand what a treasure Russell is. All in all, “You Know What It’s Like” is a track that belongs on your Spotify playlist right now.
As well, if the power behind this track is any indication, her upcoming album, “Songpainter,” is going to be a special one.
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