New York singer-songwriter Aisha Badru continues her quest for musical enlightenment with tentatively sensual new single ‘Path Of Least Resistance’. The second release from upcoming EP Learning To Love Again set to drop June 2, Badru weighs up the pros and cons of revisiting lost love on a soulful, grounded, shimmering track.
‘Path Of Least Resistance’ immediately invites you into its luscious, textured soundscape. A short guitar introduction envelopes the listener’s ears with its beautiful tone and bluesy chords, before a strong bassline, spacious drums, and chiming piano chords provide the impetus for the bulk of the track. Produced by the Grammy-winning Synematik, great emphasis is placed on the lower-frequency bass and drums, belying a confident swaying step to the song and contrasting perfectly with Badru’s breathy, crystalline vocals.
This perception of confidence offered by the track’s accompaniment is nothing more than a perception, however. With lyrics such as “Forget all the pain and all the days / When I’d wish they try, I’d wish they call, I’d wish they stay / Will it be a change or just more of the same?”, Badru is unsure of herself and her best options in love, pacing the metaphorical room of the track as she toys with risking the chance of being hurt again for another shot with her subject of affection.
With most lines of this lyric ending in questions, including the simple yet effective refrain – “Should I keep you at a distance? / Or take the path of least resistance?” – Badru is really putting out the feelers on this tune, hoping for some answers in return from the room she sings into. However, the gorgeously earthy, sultry nature of her vocal timbre may reveal a similar confidence to the accompanying track – perhaps these are the words of someone who already knows the choice she’s taken, and is looking to reason with and find reassurance from herself that she is making the right decision.
It is this ambiguity, this tightrope between confidence and anxiety that Badru masterfully tiptoes along that makes ‘Path Of Least Resistance’ such a compelling listen. Combining the themes of her healing, sensuality, love and fear into one concise R’n’B-infused indie-folk delight, Aisha Badru has provided us with a gem of a track that builds great anticipation for her approaching EP release.
Words by David Harrold
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