Lachi Inspires

Born Mellissa Ulachi Ulanma Offoha and known to her friends simply as Lachi, this artist's struggle just to become an artist is worthy of a movie. Born visually impaired and almost clinically mute, Lachi was nearly a complete shut in until her teens. It was at that point that her mother realized Lachi was into music and as a result bought Lachi a keyboard to fiddle around with. As Lachi grew up and the trauma of being a teen reared it's ugly head, Lachi constantly turned to the keys for comfort and support and the rest as they say is history.

Now a full on artist with a fully blind band backing her up, Lachi is out to prove that you can do anything if you have the determination to do it. Her self-titled album, is a tribute to that determination and proves that one can overcome obstacles no matter how unsurmountable they may be. Lachias you might expect is a reflection of her growing up and experiences and is written in a singer/songwriter format with her backing band lending flourishes and textures to help flush out the album. The result of all this is something that sounds like a cross between Joan Armatrading and Tracy Chapman. While I'm generally not a fan of this sort of stuff, the simple fact that Lachi has come out of her shell and made this record with a fully blind band is truly inspiring.

Lachi's songs are soulful and emotional and are the sorts of things that will tug at your heart because of the experiences that created them. When she sings, "Dear Happiness," how could you not be stirred by the song; this is a woman who's been through so much and such an early age and who after all that, truly deserves it all. Lachi is a fine debut from a singer songwriter who's poured her heart and soul into her original best friend...music. It's a relationship that shaped Lachi and that effect in turn helped shaped the emotions, thoughts, and words that make up her album. Whether or not you like singer songwriters, it's almost impossible not to respect and admire what she's accomplished. She's awesome and the kind of musician the world needs more of no matter what genre they play. Lachi is inspiring and reaffirming and proves that music is an all conquering force that we all need in our lives.