La’Monte has announced the release of his debut EP album, “She’s Around.” The rap and R&B artist from Philadelphia has always had a passion for music, and it shows in the eclectic mix of jazz influences, calming piano melodies, orchestral forms, and acoustic rhythms present in his four original songs on the album. The intimacy that runs through each of the tracks is a testament to his heartfelt dedication to the craft.
La’Monte, a trained pianist and self-taught singer and songwriter, taught himself to sing using his knowledge of scales and notes. As a teenager, he learned to play the piano from a master musician in just a year’s time.
Though he started with rap music due to his limited vocal abilities, he quickly expanded his musical abilities and was drawn more to pop and vintage R&B. His love of the instrumentation and sounds in these genres is evident in his EP’s tracks.
“All I Ever Need is Her,” the album’s intro track, draws the listener in with a subtle moderate tempo and jazz delivery that is both mellow and alluring. The second track, “Tonight,” features low-fidelity piano notes that contrast and complement the third track, “She’s Around,” which incorporates the sounds of a banjo inspired by the karate films of the 1970s. The album title song brings in the sounds of orchestral forms, and the EP ends with “Take it Slow,” an outro track that brings the listener back to the jazz influences that started the album.
While La’Monte has been creating music for five years, he is no stranger to the world of art. As an animator, he has gained significant support on social media for his traditional 2D content for other artists, as well as for his comedic shorts. He is working on a fully-animated music video, blending his artistic talents, which he plans to release in the future.
In both his music and other creative ventures, La’Monte has found a space where his artistic expressions are not only seen and heard but felt as well. The EP is a tribute to his love of music and was inspired by a girl who was a potential love interest. For La’Monte, music is a language in and of itself, and it serves as an outlet and a vice. As he puts it, “My words could help her to understand what I thought, but my music could help her understand what I feel.”
Check out the video below:
Listen to the EP:
