Safiyyah - Free (Ft. RADA)
Released: February 2021 Label: Polarface Recordings
West London's Safiyyah collaborates with 237's RADA for this empowering and unique release produced by Solaariss.
'Free' begins with a distorted organ and a strangely filtered drum pattern that courts a wordless melody and hushed percussion. As the introduction crescendos with a rimshot, we collapse into a deep bass line that draws its hands down your waistline and pulls you back and forth with it. I am indeed already charmed by the track.
The song discusses how in relationships we find ourselves sacrificing certain liberties of the spirit, and how through this fundamental traits of character can be lost. Love is a beautiful thing, but the love of the self is not a myth and the two singers take turns to proclaim these rites of freedom to potential suitors.
“She is free, she is ruthless,
don’t step on her toes like she foolish”
Beyond the assertion to simply wish to love without compromise, the song evolves further into the idea of frankly, not needing a lover at-all. The beat effortlessly symbolises that the fruits of liberty are actually as sweet if not sweeter than a potentially stifling matrimony. “I don’t need your compliments, I’m free and I’m fine with it”
Musical elements are subtracted and added creating a soothing ebb and flow. A low in the mix but powerful Saxophone solo leads into a lyrically direct middle 8 claiming “We don’t, need you” it remains subtle until the track’s final bars, when it takes the forefront with a beautifully played casual line which is a sweet final metaphor for the un-affected freedoms that this track is all about.