Music / How I Do

Would they love you if they knew all the things that we know?

I’ll be on my own
It don’t matter, I’m grown
I won’t be singing no sad song in the land
And if I rub you wrong, baby, I’ll come on strong
I got no mind to cushion what I say

- "The Hustler"

How I Do is the debut album by Afro-American neo soul singer Res^note pronounced "reese".

Released in 2001 on MCA Records, the record would be something of an anomaly within neo soul music at the time. As despite being a native of Philadelphia residental neo soul scene, it would experiment heavily with trip hop and alternative music of the era. Lending to its psychedelic and indie rock-esque sound and style. Another fact that would become notable about this record is that it would be mostly co-written and produced by the (at the time) little known producers Martin "Doc" McKinney (who would later become known for being the producer on The Weeknd's seminal Balloons trilogy) and Santi White, who would later go on as a solo artist by the name of Santigold.

The album would go on to be moderately successful (due to singles such as "Golden Boys") and received positive reviews with most complementing her soulful, jazz-like vocals and her eclecticism. However, her mainstream relevance wouldn't last very long, seen as a result of not really fitting in comfortably enough with any other neo soul artists of the time and her label being phased out and absorbed by sister label Geffen Records. Leading her not to release another record until 2009's Black.Girls.Rock!.

Tracklist

1. "Golden Boys" (4:40)
2. "They-Say Vision" (3:36)
3. "700 Mile Situation" (4:10)
4. "Ice King" (4:48)
5. "Sittin' Back" (4:05)
6. "How I Do" (4:00)
7. "If There Ain't Nothing" (3:25)
8. "The Hustler" (3:48)
9. "I've Known the Garden" (3:39)
10. "Let Love" (3:54)
11. "Tsunami" (7:48 / 7:16)^note On the standard edition of the album the final track "Tsunami" has the hidden track "Say It Anyway" on the end, whereas the iTunes and special edition CD versions of the album come with "Tsunami" as an individual track and a bonus track called "Toxic You" accompanied with "Say It Anyway".

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How I Trope

• Badass Boast: Quite a few, particularly:
  • "Golden Boys":
  Girls like me don’t need no bubbling mindstate thrown up in my face
  • "Sittin' Back":
  I just wanna blow up
  Then baby who knows who'll win the game
  When I close my eyes it all looks the same
  I don't wanna know nobody's name
  'Cuz I'm going for dough when I go for game
  • "How I Do":
  Look, as far as I can see
  Your head is blockin' my TV
  What you want for me to say
  I said, "Whatever, go away"
  What is it that I adore
  If you pay me then I'll tell you more
  You're looking for some reason why
  I'm arrogant (that's right)
  • "The Hustler", noted in the page quote.
• Destructive Romance: "Ice King" is about one with a drug dealer:
  Although I've seen your wickedness
  I still love your effervescence
  And I know that loving you don't make no sense
  But I guess that's why I like it
• Genre Mashup: Like many neo soul releases of its time it would experiment with multiple genres. What set it apart is it's experimentation with genres neo soul wasn't already associated with such as trip hop, new wave and post-punk.
• Hidden Track: "Say It Anyway"
• Long-Distance Relationship: Described on "700 Mile Situation":
  No one can tell me I don't know about the ins and outs of how it goes
  Impulse traveler
  Why can't you stay with me tonight?
• Longest Song Goes Last: "Tsunami" and on special editions, "Toxic You", which are the last tracks on either version of the album and the longest at seven minutes (however, both are technically two tracks, with the second hidden track, "Say It Anyway", seperated by some silence).
• Neo Soul: The most common and concise genre descriptor for this record.
• Out-of-Genre Experience: Hidden track "Say It Anyway" is this, coming at the end of the record after a moment of silence from the previous song and blaring out loud with a sound reminiscent of late 90s grunge and post-punk.
• Sampling: "Let Love" would sample "Other Voices" by The Cure.
• Take That!: "Golden Boys" is one towards men who put forth a glamorous image of themselves to make up for their insecurities:
  Now would they love you if we knew all the things that we know
  Those golden boys are all a fraud
  Don't believe their show
  Now would they love you if they knew all the things that we know Golden boy
  Life ain't a video
  • "They-Say Vision" is another one against conformists within the music industry.
  Industry’s down think I've died and I've flown away, yeah
  So, so long to thieves who came and take all the things to say
  I play the joker sometimes, but then those moments slide back my way
• Title Track: "How I Do"
• Trip Hop: The album would be sonically shaped by this genre, with its spacious and groovy production and atmosphere.

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