Kindred The Family Soul, the husband-wife duo consisting of Aja Graydon and Fatin Dantzle, has released their new single, “I Need You.”
It’s a cover of Maze Featuring Frankie Beverly‘s classic from their 1978 album Golden Time of Day.
Ahead of releasing their stunning rendition, the couple visited Frankie Beverly Way in their hometown, Philadelphia, to share the inspiration behind their tribute to the late Beverly.
“Frankie Beverly is engrained in the fabric of everything that we do, said Fatin. “We love Frankie. We hold claim to Frankie here in Philadelphia. Aja is from Washington, D.C. [and] Washington, D.C. holds claim to Frankie.”
He added, “We both have an incredible history of this man’s music in our family and the tapestry of our lives growing up. We got an opportunity to work with him on numerous occasions throughout our career. We just revere and hold this man really, really dear as a legend as we stand on a street named after him in his own community. We just really want to do justice, do tribute and pay homage to such a beautiful musical legacy.”
Aja commented, “When Frankie Beverly passed away, Fatin and I were headed out of town for our anniversary, and we knew we wanted to do something special. So we had a big white-out. Everybody was saying they were going to wear white and we’re going to celebrate Frankie.
We did when we were out of town but when were there, as we danced together in all white on the beach, we knew in that moment that we had to do something musically as well to celebrate his legacy and to speak how wonderful and influential he’s been on us in our lives, musically and personally.”
“I Need You,” produced by Vidal Davis, is Kindred The Family Soul’s first taste of new music since releasing their album Auntie & Unc in 2021.
The eight-song offering, released independently, included the singles “Break It Down” and “The Best Things.”
“Auntie & Unc is a bit of a manifesto,” explained Fatin. “A declarative statement of two black people who have loved and worked together for two decades. We are OG’s in this Black Love conversation, and we have wisdom to share; but we embrace that life is an ever teaching state of mind.”
Stream Kindred The Family Souls’s “I Need You” below.
