Worth It

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Sarah Makonnen, the artist who goes by the stage name Sarah MK, is a woman of many talents. She claims writing and arranger credits on eight of the nine song on her new recording, Worth It. The Canadian also takes a citation as executive producer. 

Sarah MK sings and spits a few rhymes on Worth It. That’s not a bad days work. Still, after listening to Worth It, it becomes clear some of those hats fit more naturally than others. The artist’s skills as a lyricist measure up. The soul/hip-hop fusion cut “Think Dat” shows that Sarah MK is an imaginative artist who can spin the dysfunctions of modern life into funky little polemics. This number addresses people who operate under the mistaken notion that bad things will never happen to them. The mid-tempo cut “Just Friends” finds Sarah MK wondering if it’s worth the risk to take a friendship to the next level.  The artist gives listeners a sample of her MC skills on this song. Ironically, her rapping is the one part of Sarah MK’s skill set that is not as refined her singing and songwriting – although you wouldn’t know it by listening to this cut. The rap on “Just Friends” works because Sarah MK’s rhyming has a melodic feel that allows her to move smoothly from singing to rapping. Conversely, her rap on the “Ain’t Hearin’ It.” – a tune where she disses the phonies she comes across in the music industry – sounds robotic rather than conversational.

Her still-developing rap talent is not a deal breaker because Sarah MK’s song writing and singing are the album’s real stars. She sports a mature and vocal instrument that will distinguish her from many of her peers who often feel the need to sound like a bunch of 13 years olds when they’re not trying to channel their inner Patti LaBelles. The twin numbers “Should’ve Part I” and “Should’ve Part II” reveal Sarah MK as an artist who understands the power of understatement and clarity. This jazzy ballad tells the story of a woman who tells her ex-lover that his apologies came too late.  Both the sparse arrangement and Sarah MK’s restrained yet intense vocals pack a serious emotional punch that allows the listener to hear and understand every word.

Worth It shows that Sarah MK is a serious artist who is willing to push topical and stylistic envelopes. In fact, if this project reveals one weakness, it’s that this artist’s ambition might lead her to do too much. But then too, that could be a nice problem to have. Her weaknesses can easily be transformed into strengths by spending a little time woodshedding.  And Sarah MK does not seem to be one who is allergic to doing a little more work. Recommended

By Howard Dukes

 

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