R&B songstress Mýa will grace the stage of The Theater at MGM in Oxon Hill, Maryland, tonight along with Faith Evans and SWV as part of the Femme It Forward music series. I have seen SWV live more times than I can remember; however, I have not seen Faith; she was an opening for Usher on his 2002, 8701 Evolution tour. While I am looking forward to seeing Faith again for the first time in two decades, I am most excited to see my hometown girl; Mya, return to the DMV in what will be my first time seeing her in concert.
While I know all of Mya’s signature hits for this week’s Second Listen Sunday, I wanted to give a listen to one of her projects I had not heard since the initial release. On Valentine’s Day 2014, Mýa released her debut EP titled With Love. This four-track EP celebrates the release of her debut single “It’s All About Me” and her 16th anniversary in the entertainment industry.
Mýa opens the project with “Space,” which she co-writes with Latisha Hyman and Cliff Lewis. Set to the production of Yonny and Squat, the track finds Mýa letting her significant other know she does not need space and wants to be with them.
“Like a Woman” finds the singer collaborating with producer Antione Hart for the acoustic-inspired track where she lets her other half the best way to love her. I enjoyed the vibe, and if I were still pursuing film, I would use this track in one of my projects.
Mýa reunites with producer Yonny for the last two tracks, “House Party” and “Do It “. The former has a cookout groove to it that is overly infectious. While the latter is, the closest Mya may ever come to Trap R&B. However, the singer makes the song’s production suits her singing style and never comes off chasing trends. While the song may come off as overtly candid and sexual for some, I found the song tastefully done.
Since going independent with her music in 2008, Mýa releasing numerous projects that received critical acclaim and tons of fanfare. Featuring just four songs, all of which clock in under four minutes, is worth the stream.
Final Grade: B+
With Love is available on all streaming platforms
It’s hard to believe that an iconic singing competition like American Idol has produced only two Black male winners in its more than two-and-a-half-decade history. Jamal Roberts made history last year when he won the show, following Ruben Studdard’s well-deserved victory in Season Two.
One wonderful aspect of supporting physical media is that I never run short of albums to choose from when deciding what to cover for Second Listen Sunday. Often, I’ll head to the man cave, browse through my CD collection, and an album will pop out at me. This week’s pick is T-Pain’s fourth album, “Revolver.”
One of my favorite singers, Mr. Eric Roberson, is performing this weekend at America’s legendary music venue, The Birchmere. To show Eric some love, I want to highlight something longtime R&B fans have always known: he’s had remarkable songwriting talent.