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Pruf
Positive
By Steven Fullwood
You've
all heard the cliche about a woman so fly that when she walks into a
room all heads turn? Well, it's certainly true for Pru, the eclectic
singer/songwriter whose eponymous self-titled debut is a heady mix of
jazz, R&B and soul, with just a hint of folk that's sure to
delight.
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We met at a hotel on the lower
east side of Manhattan. This sister stepped, no, floated off the
elevator in dramatically large sunglasses, her lightly teased Afro
glistened, her lips glossed just so. Born Pru Renford, this
twenty-something artist exuded a cool confidence as we retreated to a
nearby coffeehouse where we talked freely about her family, influences,
songwriting craft, and the end result.
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 Courtesy
Iced Media
Pru
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"Well, I am a Texas
girl, born in Houston. My older brother Paxton turned me on to music
and he's a very talented musician," Pru says beaming with pride.
"You'll hear about him, trust me."
She sips her herbal tea and continues. "Anyway, I've been writing
poetry every since the age of seven and when my brother read some of
my stuff, he thought it might be good to put to music."
Pru developed her own sensibility about art and purpose. Like many
female artists these days (Angie Stone, Lauryn Hill), Pru writes and
produces her own work. A self-described "people's poet," her
songwriting process is a direct result of what she sees and
experiences.
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"I write on the guitar. I don't
play one, but it's one of the ways that I write. I write about what
happens to me at a particular time in a relationship, love and about
breakups because that's what people are dealing with," she says.
Pru also had a hand in the album's overall production. "I
co-wrote and co-produced every song on this album," she says
staring me straight in the eye. "I took my time and worked with
producers and it represents what I listen to and what I am interested
in. It was a struggle trying to create this sound. I love R&B and
soul, hip-hop and folk music. I grew up listening to country music, so
I am sure some of that's in there too," she said smiling. |
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This woman once worked as a stylist, something that's painfully
evident when you meet her. Besides the Afro and lips, Pru's clothing
whispered cool-stylish graffiti-covered, form fitting jacket and denim
pants, offset with a soft baby T-shirt.
"Yeah, that comes natural for me. I like experimenting, putting
things together, so that was [a] natural thing you know. To me it's
all about approach." |
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That sense of style permeates her self-titled debut album, and she is
clear about how she would like her music to be perceived.
"I would like for people to get something from it. I think it's
important to find out what people are thinking and then help them get
through what their going through. This is me, this [is] who I am. I
make music that reflects my spirituality, and I hope that it touches
other people," she says. M
January 2002
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