“Your Renaissance,” the new song by drummer and producer Lil’ John Roberts, is a relaxing and contemplative tune created during a time of tension and upheaval. The conception of this song and Elevation, the upcoming album that will include “Your Renaissance,” was the troubled days of 2020.
During that time, the world confronted first the COVID 19 pandemic that took so many lives and then the racial and social justice upheaval that followed the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbury, and the unjustified police killing of Breonna Taylor.
There was also the 2020 election and the economic recession caused by the pandemic. Roberts writes about that time in the introduction for “Your Renaissance.”
“We were afraid to leave home in fear of catching the virus, or being caught in a situation with dirty police, so the only thing to do was put our frustrations and pain into our music in hopes that one day we would come out of this ‘twilight zone’ and see the light again…literally. This music was intended to help soothe souls and heal wounds externally and internally.”
“Your Renaissance” has a relaxing vibe set by Roberts’ drumming that takes the pace of a heartbeat. That relaxing sound sets the foundation for airy and harmonic vocalization by Karen Vega, and jazzy flourishes on piano from Phil Davis. This song is intimate and deeply personal, and the title tells the story of an artist seeking to control of his house when the outside world has gone mad. The renaissance that Roberts references is an individual one. Check out Lil John Roberts’ “Your Renaissance” here.
By Howard Dukes
Lil’ John Roberts and Phil Davis ft. Karen Vega
“Your Renaissance”
