The luscious tones of the intoxicating voice of South London’s finest new soul singer, Lianne La Havas, are reminiscent of a once-glorious Sade. A compendium of introspective prose, ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?’ La Havas’ fantastic debut offering, is a beautiful and melancholic collection of retrospective prose on relationships at their most exquisite, to their confusing, bittersweet end. The demeanor of life thoroughly explored, as well as a profound wisdom on all-encompassing, maddening, love transcends La Havas’ young age.

La Havas takes on the role of narrator amidst a flurry of sound and against an indesinent fusion of soothing soul and funky folk, which serve as embellishment for her bitterly harsh and honest lyrics. The chic and choppy guitar rifts, implicative of 1920s Paris, paint the backdrop to a debacle of a mysterious and inexplicably irresistible older man in ‘Age’.

Soft drums and deep piano chords weave amongst striking self-confessions (‘You’re lost and found, falling out, my faith broken down’) within the exquisite ‘Lost & Found,’ which depicts the vulnerability of a lover who has lost. Cataloging the dizzying heights of love in a fervent rendition of Scott Matthews ‘Elusive,’ La Havas divulges the tantalizing tale of anyone who has ever crumpled under the overwhelming exhaustion of infatuation.

Just piano and vocals are used to portray a wretched sadness in the distressing ‘Gone.’ Wistful lyrics allude to the beguiling nature of love, ‘You just look ridiculous in your disguise, now I found you out, this is my last goodbye.’ An undertone of frustration and self doubt subtly intertwine to create an impression of disillusionment with the concept of love: ‘Love is not blind, it’s just deaf and it is dumb. So how could I fool myself thinking you were the one?’  Within this simple song La Havas congregates every emotion that comes alongside a broken heart that mistakenly placed its faith in the wrong individual.

La Havas harbors an old soul, intertwined with a deep understanding of the world around her. This album is good for your soul. With each song a therapeutic dose is unleashed onto the listener, easing the pain of a broken heart and soothing the melancholy of the harsher edges of life. To reference La Havas’ fitting exclamation: ‘It’s just the beginning, sing when you’re winning.’ There is no doubt that this girl is set for big stages, and that this is indeed just the beginning. Try to catch her at an intimate venue in her upcoming European tour, or as she supports the great John Legend throughout his current US tour. And so to address this soul songstress directly: Lianne please do keep on singing, you are tremendously winning.

Album Highlights: Lost & Found, Everything Everything, Forget.

Image Courtesy of  Kmeron

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In its bid to knock out memory disorders, Keep Memory Alive will turn up the heat at its 16th annual Power of Love Gala on Saturday, Feb. 18, as it celebrates the life and legacy of “The Greatest,” Muhammad Ali, while raising funds in support of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health and the Muhammad Ali Center. Tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime celebrity-filled fundraising event are on sale now.

On Feb. 18, Keep Memory Alive, the fundraising arm of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, will transform the MGM Grand Garden Arena into a 70th birthday celebration for Ali designed to honor the boxing legend’s contribution to the world and raise awareness for Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s, ALS, and Parkinson’s, the disease “The Champ” has been battling since 1984.

Proceeds from the event will benefit the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s work toward enhanced treatments and research of neurocognitive disorders and the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Ky.

Performers and celebrity supporters slated to appear at the celebration include Lenny Kravitz, Anthony Hopkins, John Legend, Cee Lo Green, Brad Garrett, Kelly Rowland, James Gandolfini, and Sammy Hagar. Boxing icons scheduled to attend the celebration include Sugar Ray Leonard, Ken Norton, Tommy “Hitman” Hearns, Roberto Duran, Angelo Dundee, and Leon Spinks. Even more big names from the entertainment and sports worlds will be added to the lineup as the event nears.

“This year’s Power of Love Gala will bring attention and funds to the important work being done at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health on a whole new scale,” said Larry Ruvo, Chairman, Keep Memory Alive. “We’re excited to have the opportunity to shed light on the fight to knock out neurocognitive disorders while celebrating the life and ongoing contributions of the legend, Muhammad Ali.”

In keeping with its 16-year history, the Power of Love Gala will showcase a celebrity-chef-packed dinner and one-of-a-kind live and silent auction items, but this year, the evening will also include a birthday celebration for Ali, featuring live performances and heartfelt tributes from some of the world’s hottest entertainers and sports icons. ABC will also televise the event nationally on Saturday, Feb. 25, at 7 p.m. EST/ 4 p.m. PST.

The gala’s celebration for Ali aligns with the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health’s recent launch of a landmark study examining the long-term brain health of professional fighters. Aiming to improve the safety and health of fighters, the study will help determine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain, along with other tests, can detect subtle changes in brain health that correlate with impaired thinking and functioning.

Researchers hope the information uncovered by this research will eventually result in better ways to prevent permanent brain injury in not only fighters, but also in others who may suffer from brain trauma.

“We are thrilled to bring together some of the biggest entertainers, sports figures and celebrities in the world to salute Muhammad on this monumental evening.  Again, the People’s Champion is raising his fists high to support and bring awareness to these important organizations,” said Kraig Fox, Chief Operating Officer of CKX.

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