Lakotah: “Heaven’s Own” – a deeply atmospheric production that mixes a driving beat and layers of gritty guitar

Lakotah is one of those artists that seeps in under the mainstream radar, and is able to become a sensation based on pure talent. She produced a solid full-length album, “The Maker,” that blends powerfully polished instrumentals and different genres – there are splatters of alternative, electro, rock and EDM woven together, and cemented into place by Lakotah’s lovely voice. On the album Lakotah performed all of the instruments, except lead guitar and cello. A prolific songwriter, her skills include: voice-over, singing, programming, sequencing, producing, performing and being a multi-instrumentalist.

Having lived in New York, London and Seattle, this Billboard Charting recording artist has chosen Los Angeles as her home. Lakotah’s extensive song catalog which includes over 200 compositions has been used in motion pictures and in television. Her single release, “Heaven’s Own”, is taken from the album, “The Maker.”

Lakotah has a voice that she uses to amazing effect. It reminds me alternately of some other outstanding female artists, such as Grace Slick, Sinead O’Connor, Patti Smith, P.J. Harvey and Pat Benatar, but somehow seems to transcend all of them. There is an intimacy and warmth she projects, combined with great power, yet at times she is also able to display an air of vulnerability.

From the beginning all its way through the end, the music you find here on “Heaven’s Own” is an unforgettable experience. The moody, visceral production of the track is stunning and the arrangement of the instruments flow in such an incredible way and natural form that you might believe that perfection is what you are hearing.

I’ve been missing this kind of sound: a strong female voice that understands dynamics and is backed by a deeply atmospheric production that mixes a driving beat and layers of gritty guitar, piano and other keyboard tones, giving everything a sense of edgy, unrestrained intensity. The lyrics swell beautifully with this dark, haunting, and energizing soundscape.

“Heaven’s Own” delivers the same blended mood that Gary Numan’s electronic dark wave tones, mashed with the brooding grunge sound of Alice in Chains would. It is thick, heavy, epic and affecting. It is a singular sound that almost no-one possesses, or would even dare to possess, anywhere near the borders of mainstream.

It is clear that Lakotah exudes such confidence in her singular aesthetic vision that she can be herself, without fear of borders or boundaries. And that is exactly what she does on this track. Lakotah is the kind of artist who takes the lead and lets others come along for the ride, rather than simply playing to the whims and trends of the marketplace or banking on gimmickry.

Lakotah lets her rich, versatile pipes loose to show that she can do more than just keep pace with her big-voiced ‘diva’ contemporaries, but adds enough of her own powerhouse sound to the guitars and keys, to make things come off all her own. She really has a sound that works for her and she’s exploring it to bring out all the most interesting nuances possible. In a nutshell, “Heaven’s Own” is nearly flawless in its unrefined earthiness.

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