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Songs We Love: Jamie Lidell, 'Walk Right Back'

"A time before experience, a time that was my innocence. And I wanna go there."

Do you remember what it was like to be a child, tabula rasa? Before you knew about bills, Facebook feeds, sex, politics, money or even your own name? Can you recall the days when the warmth of your mom or dad's embrace was the most powerful, comforting sensation in existence? English soul singer and electronic producer Jamie Lidell and visual artist Leolyxxx want to take us back to those halcyon days with the animated video for Lidell's "Walk Right Back," the lead single from his forthcoming album, Building A Beginning.

Jamie Lidell, <em>Building A Beginning</em>.
/ Courtesy of the artist
/
Courtesy of the artist
Jamie Lidell, Building A Beginning.

The song itself is an invocation of the pure love children feel from their parents — a happy place to which Lidell longs to return. The topic of parental love is near and dear to both Lidell and Leolyxxx; the two have first-time fatherhood in common, and their "dad talks" led to the concept for the "Walk Right Back" video. Featuring bright colors and continuously morphing shapes, the surreal clip is Leolyxxx's abstract interpretation of what the world might look like to a baby experiencing it for the first time.

A wondrous new world, seen through new eyes — without the worries of adult life. Can it be that it was all so simple then?

Building A Beginning comes out Oct. 14 on Jajulin Records. Lidell will perform Sept. 20 at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City.

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