Street Candid (Mimo album) – Queen City Sounds and Art

Mimo1_crop — Mimo, photo courtesy the artist

“Papa Was” finds New York City-based songwriter Mimo weaving in references to lyrics throughout the song like other artists would drop in choice sample to craft a beat. It’s a way to connect the artist to her inspirations and place herself in a musical lineage in a creative way in the classic fashion in order to create something new. There’s the obvious reference to the psychedelic soul classic by The Undisputed Truth (made famous shortly after by The Temptations) but also “Killing Me Softly With His Song” first a hit with Roberta Flack in 1973 and then The Fugees in 1996. Mimo’s own song while not a cover draws upon similar inspirations in jazz, soul and R&B without seeming to be defined purely by any of those musical forms. There is a wry sense of humor informing the attitude of the song and that’s one of its charms as it charts a story in which the songwriter is figuring out her path in life and coming back to her roots as an anchor in moving forward with confidence. “Papa Was” is the first single from Mimo’s full-length album Street Candid and you can listen to it on Spotify and follow Mimo at the links below.