Friday morning, Buffalo artist, singer and songwriter Drea D’Nur released her latest album This Love Thing, which is co-executive produced with Chicago songwriter, Doctor Rami Nashashibi.
While the album touches on themes related to love, it also touches on social justice issues. D’Nur says she keeps alive the spirit of Civil Rights-era musician Nina Simone in her music.
“Nina Simone is my greatest influence musically,” she said. “Because of her fearlessness and because of her convictions. She risked her career to speak the truth.”
In the same vein as Simone, the song Mama Please, written by Nashishibi, explores themes like police reform during these tumultuous times.
“The inspiration for the title is George Floyd’s last words,” she said. “I think that when we all heard ‘mama please,’ I think it undoubtedly shook us all up. All over the world.”
Those themes take on a local bent with D’Nur’s support of Cariol’s Law, named after former Buffalo Police officer Cariol Horne.
“It’s so important to acknowledge that this Black woman, this Black mother is leading the fight for reform in our city,” she said.
D’Nur hopes Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown hears the message within Mama Please and makes the decision to sign Cariol’s Law.
D’Nur’s says the new album, featuring a roster of spoken-word, Hip Hop and Grammy-nominated artists feels more like a collective work than an album with guest appearances. You can find This Love Thing on all music platforms.
