Worthy from Ancestry by Samantha Lindo

Worthy was inspired by the story of my great, great grandfather Samuel Brown, the black Methodist minister from Barbados whose faith, and knowledge of himself as a worthy child of God, enabled him to defy societal prejudice pursue an interracial marriage to Ada, a white Scottish teacher, and daughter of previous plantation owners, in 1891.

I called the track ‘Worthy’ because that is what I receive from their story: in a world where still so often base worth and identity on outside appearance, I want to claim his courage to defy social norms and a worthiness that comes from an inner knowing, not an outward status or position.

It’s structurally different to a lot of my songs, meditating on the word ‘worthy’ repeatedly, as it builds through key changes and the layering of gospel style harmonies to express how this worthiness has iterated itself through the generations.

The combination of the pulsing bass and the string section is one of my favourite aspects of the track: it reminds me of songs I grew up with and of one of my favourite artists, Minne Riperton, as well as recent tracks I love from the Inflow produced collective, Sault.

Samantha Lindo’s artistry lets you step into her shoes through storytelling, from-the-heart honesty, and poetic lyricism.

Fusing spiritual jazz, gospel, folk and spoken word, Her debut album 'Ancestry' is the deep breath we didn’t know we needed to take.

Clash Magazine described it as “exceptional,” and it received national attention from Gilles Peterson on 6 Music & Jamie Cullum on BBC Radio 2

samanthalindo.com
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