(January 27, 2026) Letting go can be the hardest thing to do. That’s especially the case when every instinct in your mind, body, and soul screams to hold on all the tighter. Releasing someone that you fervently wish to keep in your life requires a combination of self-awareness, security, empathy and love. Those virtues allow you to view a relationship through the lens of that someone else, and to be strong and compassionate enough to give that person the permission to leave.
Soul man Jarrod Lawson gives a musical voice to self-awareness and grace required to let go on his latest ballad “Do Whatchu Gotta.” The lovely slow jam will be included on Lawson’s upcoming album Just Let It, which is due to drop on May 1. Fortunately, Lawson gives SoulTrackers a sneak preview of “Do Whatchu Gotta” on this First Listen.
“Do Whatchu Gotta” has the elements soul music fans have come to expect from Lawson, like his emotive and rangy vocals that soar from that sensual baritone to an angelic tenor – seemingly at the drop of a hat. Then, there’s the arrangement that features Lawson’s deft keyboard work. All these serves as the soundboard for Lawson’s lyricism. Those lyrics are eloquently confessional, clear-eyed realist and compassionate.
Lawson said that inspiration for writing “Do Whatchu Gotta” comes from hearing an instrumental ballad called “Twins” from Paris based musician Rose Noir. “I remember sitting on my couch when I first heard the track, and I loved the vibe so much that I jumped up and grabbed my notebook to start jotting down some lyrics that I was hearing; very much non-biographical musings that randomly came to me in the moment. It was like a little gift from beyond!”
The muse’s gift to Lawson is now his gift to us. Check out “Do Whatchu Gotta,” by Jarrod Lawson here.
By Howard Dukes
