(Photo Credit - Anna Azarov)
EP Review - L'FREAQ: Showgirl (September 23, 2021)
L’FREAQ is already a seasoned performer. If you look her up on YouTube, either as L’FREAQ or Lea Cappelli, you can see videos posted from as much as eight years ago. She also currently has a gig in Las Vegas as Amy Winehouse in 27.
We should watch this one more time, and then I will focus on her album.
In July, I wrote about L’FREAQ’s “Gimmick” video release. In it, I stated that I believe she takes the pure, raw heart of an artist (i.e., Amy Winehouse) and mixes it with the cunning, business mind of a performer (i.e., Lady Gaga) to create an aggressive yet restrained video, a gimmick. Whoever Ms. Cappelli has in her corner is helping her make intelligent decisions.
L’FREAQ’s upcoming Showgirl EP is much of the same. Starting with “Gimmick,” it follows a similar path. Aggressive and at times “LOUD,” she becomes a calculated artist with a strong voice. “Showgirl” is an anthem. “Hold your hands up to the sky/Feel the freedom as you cry/Power/Hold your head up to the sky/Feel the freedom on the rise/Power.” How could someone not want to side with her?
“Take You Down” is another battle cry. L’FREAQ is angry that her time has not come, but she’s on the cusp. However, she is using that fuck-you-i-can-make-my-own-decisions mentality to her advantage. Her voice is strong, and she is talented. “LOUD” is a continuation of this breakthrough. There is no existential crisis here. L’FREAQ knows who she is, and no one is going to tell her any differently.
L’FREAQ ends this EP with “Nothing On Me.” This song speaks for itself. It is the thesis of her dissertation. She’s tired of the bullshit; she’s outgrown it. However, L’FREAQ isn’t stupid. All along, she’s been paying attention. The time has come. She’s angry and ready to take on the world.
Final Thought: Everyone should have a Fuck It Epiphany. Mine was in grad school, and David Guetta’s “Titanium (ft. Sia)” became my anthem. Afterward, I began producing material that I believed in. I see my wife on the verge of a similar moment in her career. She finished med school and did well during her rotations. However, she is back on the bottom, being bullied in a toxic environment. The archaic mentality of her field will not change, but maybe the Showgirl EP will empower her enough to crossover and say, “Fuck it. I know who I am, and I believe in me.”
Favorite Song: “LOUD”
Rating - 4.75/5