Review: ConSoulTant - "Hit It Out the Park" Single

For the past several years, the Atlanta music scene has given birth to some of the hottest acts in Hip-Hop, Soul, and R&B. Artists like Cee-Lo Green, Usher, Ludacris, and more have called the city their home and have crafted worldwide hits. Now, rising from the humble world of software consulting comes the “ConSoulTant,” better known to friends and family as Selita, and she’s ready to bring her signature genre-bending sound to the masses.

Selita’s story begins like many, learning to sing alongside the church choir as a child, forming her love of singing early on while later she took to instruments as well, learning to play the violin, clarinet, saxophone, and piano. Performing wherever she could, from marching band to the church choir, Selita soaked in a variety of extra musical inspiration, drawing from a musical well that included Michael Jackson, Prince, Sade, Aretha Franklin, The Bee Gees, The Charlie Daniels Band, and more.

With the purchase of a 4-track recording studio, Selita was determined to press on toward her dream, working on developing her skills as a producer and songwriter alongside honing her performances. Yet, for Selita, the needs of her family overshadowed her dreams for a bit and she started a software business in order to provide stability. However, bringing the same tenacious spirit to life as she does her music, the artist kept pressing onward and, with the support of her family, launched Raging Sky Records and released her debut record, Spend the Night. That debut saw the artist tackling multiple genres, leading to solid reviews, and some high profile gigs, even crafting a song for the Atlanta Falcons football team, a thrill for the self-avowed sports nut.

Now the artist is turning her ear to the sport of baseball with her latest single, “Hit It Out the Park.” It’s the sort of song that’s tailor-made for sports arenas, the ConSoulTant’s voice rich and smooth, flowing with ease and skill, while her Hip-Hop flavored arrangement keeps the hype rolling. Using elements of the vocal “Root-root!” as an element of chunky percussion is a nice touch, supported by synthesized keyboards and further percussion while the artist offers up playful lyrics like, “For its 1-2-3 (1-2 strike 3 you're out)/Balling on the mound, shut 'em down/You know we ready c'mon a let's play.” The production is a bit light, the sound not quite as full as one would prefer but for a “let’s get hyped” track like this, it’s forgivable.

All in all, “Hit It Out the Park” is a fun jam. It’s the sort of song that will fill in nicely at the ball park as you sit with an overpriced hot dog and beer in hand cheering on your favorite team as they trade sides on the field. That said, this one probably won’t be hitting the airwaves too strongly, unless its able to land on a "Jock Jams" type of record, but don’t be surprised if you hear it at your favorite stadium one of these days.