Nightflying: The Entertainment Guide

---David Hughes

    It’s a crisp Saturday afternoon in March at the Basin Park Hotel in Eureka Springs. The sun is peaking through the clouds after a dusting of snow earlier. In the second story restaurant, servers are bustling about and people are lazily eating their lunches, in no hurry to get out on the street below. I’m sitting across the table from a beautiful ebony dream named LZ Love.

    We had met the night before during her performance as the opening act for Chris Duarte during the 9th Annual Chris Duarte Music Weekend. Love had played a duo with guitarist Lightnin’ Red. I picked up her two CD’s, Gut Bucket Blues and My Higher Ground, the evening before and had listened to both of them before making it back for the interview.

    It turns out that singing and songwriting are natural things for Love.

    “I’ve been making up songs since I was a kid. I was one of those kids that was making up my own songs and I think I got inspired doing that because I couldn’t figure out what certain words were so I just started making up my own words. I got encouraged knowing that I was creative enough to come up with words that were clever enough to fit into music. Then I started creating my own little songs.”

    LZ Love was born in Chicago but grew up Berkeley. The youngest of seven children, Love was singing at a very early age and people noticed.

“My mother and pastor saw I had a gift to sing. I would sing in church next to my mother. My mother would watch and saw that I knew all the words to the songs. They put me in the choir at an early age, about 5. I didn’t want to do it because it was in the afternoon and I wanted to be with my friends.”

That early intervention has led Love down an interesting and well traveled musical path. Love has done time on backing vocals with Luther Vandross, James Brown, George Benson, Mary Wells and Billy Preston, to name just a few. Love’s path has led her quite literally around the world.

“I went to school in Berkeley. From there I got in singing back up with several people. That’s where I got my start in my teens and early twenties. Then I started getting in my own bands. I went to Japan and lived there for awhile. I came back and started dong my own solo stuff and started putting together dance house records. I lived in London for a year but moved back because my mother was ill and I took care of her for the last six years of her life. I had dance records on the charts and couldn’t go promote them because my mother was sick. I probably could’ve made more out of those singles if I had been there to promote them on TV and in appearances. I feel good at night about coming back and staying with mom. From going back to take care of my mom I met Micheal (Franti) and Tommy (Castro).”

Franti and Castro both make appearances on Love’s CD, My Higher Ground, payback for her appearances on both of their records.

“I sang back up on Franti’s last three albums including Yell Fire. He has always hired me to do his background vocals. I love to work with them. I sang back up on two of Tommy’s recordings. Because I gave them everything I could give on their projects they were right there for me on my project. Jay Bowman produced Michael’s album and mine. Everyone happened to be in town (San Francisco). It was karmic. Shelly King, my sista in Austin, came out. I brought Charlie Pricher in from Texas to play on it.”

“I’m really proud of my album. The only problem I have is that the music industry likes to pigeon hole you. If you don’t do all country or all gospel or all soul or funk they say your music is going all over the place but I feel I was true to my message and true to the music I wanted to get across.”

My Higher Ground most definitely cannot be pigeon-holed. The songs vary from soulful ballads to a gospel feel to a rocker. Love spreads her wings and shows her range as a singer. My Higher Ground is a contrast to the second CD, Gut Bucket Blues, recorded with Lightnin’ Red to promote their duo work.
“Me and Lightnin’ Red have been playing out for about a year. I’ve known him for about four years. He played in my band and on another project. We decided to do some trio stuff. We did that. We decided since we’re getting a lot of gigs we should have a CD to try to sell when we go out to play. We found this guy on line that had a little 8 track. It was real cheap and we could afford it and we went in and recorded it live. He did the artwork. It was a labor of love and not very difficult. No pressure. You can put that CD on and it don’t get in your way.”

Love’s varied music style can be traced back to her childhood. Music played a big part in her life growing up

“I’ve been so blessed to be introduced to so much music growing up. We listened to jazz, salsa. My sister even had a Tammy Wynette album. All kinds of music was being played around me so that’s why I have all these influences for writing different kinds of music.”

“My biggest influence is Mahalia Jackson. She is one of my favorite singers. When you hear people like her and Bessie Smith, this is where my stuff comes from. They were from that same era. Jackson had big voice. With her resonance she could get with her low tones. I focus more on the low tones and the mid-range. I have a naturally low voice and I play to that strength. I also like Tina Turner and Janis Joplin. I’m a big Travis Tritt fan. I like his voice…it’s so sexy and soulful. Tritt is like a soul man to me. I think he’s so hot as a male singer. Him and Stevie Wonder.”

Love has her finger in a lot of pies. She is still playing to the dance club scene.

“I’ve had dance records released in the UK as I mentioned before... Soul tunes with a dance beat under it. I just recorded another dance single with a producer out of Los Angeles who works with Beyonce and Christina Aguilera. I was fortunate to do the vocals in Austin and send them to Los Angeles and he was able to mix it. We are going to do a dance single album called Give Me the Benefit of the Doubt… kind of a soul dance thing.”

So, is this musical hodge-podge a planned thing?

“It’s just the way I am, you know. It’s the kind of music I like. I think that if you are true to yourself and true to your art I feel it attracts you to the right people with the different projects. I’m constantly listening to other music…I take a little bit from everything that I like or hear. I do it the American way…Make a big ol’ gumbo.”

An obviously spiritual person with strong ties to family, Love is confident with her place in the musical world.

“We always say a prayer before we go on. I can’t do anything without that force coming through me. I’m not religious anymore but I’m spiritual. I feel that’s it all free form to know the Almighty…to get to know God or Jehovah or Jesus or whatever you want to call it. It’s not as difficult as people make it. It’s an unconditional relationship. You don’t have to repent to nobody on this planet.”

Her mother’s influence remains strong in her life as evidenced by the song ‘Momma’.

“That song is about her. She influenced me by knowing how to live and survive. There were six girls…it would’ve been seven kids but my brother died. We were hard headed but she knew how to handle it. I was the baby. My mother had the ability to just look at us and took care of a lot of stuff.”

With over twenty years in the business LZ Love offers up a true story of success blooming from hard work and dedication. She works as a voice teacher in addition to her singing and offers up some sound advice to those wanting to get in the music business.

“The first rule I tell people is get used to your own sound. Get to know your sound and learn to appreciate or at least try to love your own voice and love what you can bring. We can get influenced by so many things around us and that’s good. But when it’s all said and done its got to come from you…its got to come from your soul. Try to center into what you are and get used to the sound of your voice if you’re a singer. Get used to your voice. Even people who are successful can’t stand to hear their voice. That’s my advice. Believe in yourself and be determined.”

LZ Love will be playing at Maxine’s in Hot Springs on May 31 and at the Eureka Springs Blues Festival on June 1-2. For more information on LZ check her out at www.lz-love.com or www.myspace.com/lzlovecom.

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