Had an opportunity to meet and speak with Lina last week and I gotta say she's real as they come. Ever since a one time friend turned me on to 'Smooth', I was immediately hooked. She's an operatic-sounding neo-soul singer from Texas (who now lives in a suburb of my hometown LA), fusing contemporary R&B with the style (and samples) of classic swing and vocal jazz. We spoke on the differences of being an indie-read: neo-soul singer in a big-city-bling place like floss-angeles versus Dallas (where she's from) and Atlanta. She introduced me to her girlfriend from LA and the way we chatted, it seemed like I'd known them all my life. Her new cd 'Morning Star' is definitely worth a listen... now if I can only get it back from my gurl... Peace, y'all