Pop & Miscellaneous

Nneka - Concrete Jungle (2010)

2011-11-15T19:20:08Z

Nneka - Concrete Jungle (2010)


01. Showin' Love
02. The Uncomfortable Truth
03. Mind Vs. Heart
04. Heartbeat								play
05. Come With Me
06. Kangpe (feat. Wesley Williams)
07. Africans
08. Suffri
09. From Africa 2 U
10. Walking									play
11. Focus
12. God Of Mercy

Nneka Egbuna 	Composer, Drawing, Guitar (Acoustic), Photography, Producer
Ecko Alabi 	Drums
Nis Kötting 	Keyboards
Gros Ngollé Pokossi 	Bass
Farhad Samadzada 	Keyboards, Mixing, Programming
Jean-Louis Solans 	Bass, Guitar, Palmas
Juergen Spiegel 	Drums
Sven Waje 	Bass, Composer, Guitar, Programming

Concrete Jungle, a compilation of tracks from Nneka's first two European albums -- eight are taken from 2008's No Longer at Ease; four from her 2005 debut Victim of Truth --serves as her introduction to American audiences. The child of a Nigerian (Igbo) father and a German mother who divides her time between Hamburg and Lagos, but takes most of her musical inspiration from American hip-hop and soul (and Jamaican reggae), Nneka comes across perhaps all too readily as an emblematic figure, an embodiment of certain familiar Pan-African tropes. Her compelling personal story seems to encapsulate many of the complexities and contradictions of African diasporic history, while her heterogeneous mix of funk, reggae, rap, R&B, Afro-beat, and pop feels like textbook culture-fusing eclecticism. The cover of Concrete Jungle seems designed to cast the singer as a sort of rainbow-hued "Mama Africa," superimposing her solemn face with a multi-colored map of the continent, curiously mislabeled with American state names (although it does downplay her impressively expansive afro.) It's an attractive reading and an apt persona, and Nneka does it some justice, although it obscures the extent to which she's a unique artist drawing on a singular set of life experiences which don't fit into a pat, familiar narrative. Still, the ambitious array of styles here does make it hard to put a finger on Nneka's distinct identity. There is a palpable (decidedly old-school) hip-hop undercurrent throughout, despite the lack of any traditionally styled boom-bap beats, and even though Nneka really only flexes her (entirely respectable) rap skills on two cuts (the somewhat gritty "Showin' Love" and the bombastic, rock guitar-fueled "Focus" ), "Africans" and "Kangpe" both offer fairly straight-ahead reggae vibes -- authentically roots-flavored and mildly updated, respectively -- but beyond that, the grooves are truly all over the map: "Uncomfortable Truth" is a horn-heavy 6/8 funk shuffle; "From Africa 2 U" is bubbly highlife-styled Afro-pop; "Walking" and "God of Mercy" nod towards Massive Attack's soulful brand of trip-hop; "Come with Me" is a bluesy acoustic number that calls to mind Tracy Chapman; "Heartbeat" (a 2009 Top 20 hit in the U.K.) is a tense, modern pop confection with buzzing strings and hyperactive double-time drums. On paper it sounds like a disjointed mess, even if there are certainly interconnections linking most of these styles, but somehow Nneka (along with her primary musical collaborator and producer, DJ Farhot) manage to make these disparate tracks succeed not only individually, but as a generally cohesive whole. Among the common elements tying it all together -- apart from Nneka's slightly grainy voice, which is thin but versatile and potent -- are a consistently organic sound palette (there are almost no overtly electronic elements), and a frequent political edge that's galvanizing without being aggressively militant, and remains uplifting while rarely lapsing into platitudes. Comparisons to the adventurous, populist neo-soul divas of the '90s -- in particular Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill -- are both inevitable and absolutely warranted, which helps explain why Nneka's music sounds so refreshingly out of step: just about nobody (not even the revitalized Badu) is making music in this vein anymore with this level of intelligence, warmth, and accessibility. ---K. Ross Hoffman, AllMusic Review

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Nneka - My Fairy Tales (2015)

2015-04-15T15:25:54Z

Nneka - My Fairy Tales (2015)


01. Believe System
02. Babylon
03. My Love, My Love
04. My Love, My Love (Reprise)
05. Local Champion
06. Surprise
07. Pray for You
08. Book of Job
09. In Me

Sold to me as 'a tasteful blend of reggae, roots & afrobeat flavours', I was really excited to listen to MOBO-Award winning artist Nneka's new album 'My Fairy Tales'. I love reggae. its casual, repetitive sound never fails to sweep me up and get me moving, preferably with cocktail; daydreaming about summer holidays with friends and family, gathered for BBQs on quiet, sandy beaches at sunset. Bliss...

But with Nneka's new album, I feel more than the urge to daydream about lovely summer holidays. Nneka's sound is attitude; it's biting, honest comment on the world that surrounds her; it's a journey of personal discovery; Nneka's sound is unique. In my own opinion, the best song on the album has to be 'In Me'. Nneka's strangely hypnotic voice perfectly compliments the laid back attitude lying deep within the rhythms; a song that confidently boasts in it's overall tone: "I know exactly what I'm doing and where I'm going."

Put simply: Nneka is wonderful. 'My Fairy Tales' is a work of art. --- Sophie Porter, femalearts.com

„My Fairy Tales” to koncept album opisujący afrykańskie narody żyjące w rozproszeniu i trudności, z które napotykają. Znajdziemy tu historie o zakochaniu i odpowiedzialności za potomstwo, ale także znaczeniu kultury, edukacji i tożsamości. Podróże artystki i czas spędzony we Francji miały wpływ na sposób w jaki powstawał album, który nie tylko opisuje cierpienia Afrykanów, ale także ich wytrzymałość, wytrwałość i wdzięczność, które są właściwe dla nich, ale także dla ludzi na całym świecie.

Na nowym albumie, jak i we wcześniejszej twórczości Nneki, znajdziemy prawdziwy, prosty afrobeat i rootsowy klimat. Nagrania na nową płytę odbywały się głównie we Francji, Danii i Norwegii. Produkcją albumu zajmowało się kilka osób: Mounir Maarouf z Francji wyprodukował 5 piosenek, Silver Bullit team z Danii 2, a „The Slag” (Marcus Nigsch) i Nneka wyprodukowali jeden utwór, współpracując z 4 krotnym zdobywcą Grammy, Jamesem „Bonzai” Caruso, który znany jest ze swojej współpracy z Daimen & Stephen Marley. Chris Gelin zmiksował utwór „My Love, My Love”, którego jest także współproducentem. ---empik.com

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Nneka - Victim Of Truth (2005)

2011-01-21T20:15:04Z

Nneka - Victim Of Truth (2005)


1. Intro
2. Stand Strong
3. Uncomfortable Truth
4. Beautiful
5. Africans            play
6. Quit
7. Changes
8. Material Things
9. Burning Bush
10. Confession
11. Showin Love
12. Warrior            play
13. In Charge
14. Make Me Strong
15. God Of Mercy
16. Your Request

Acoustic Guitar, Percussion – Nneka Egbuna 
Bass – Gros Ngollé Pokossi (tracks: 5, 10)
Drums – Kilian Soldat (tracks: 5, 10)
Guitar – Sven Waje (tracks: 5, 10)
Instruments [All Instruments], Programmed By – DJ Farhot (tracks: 1 to 4, 6 to 9, 11 to 16)
Keyboards – Nis Kötting (tracks: 5, 10)

Released in 2006, Nneka's Victim of Truth is an ambitious genre-straddling debut that combines sociopolitical lyrics with a mixture of soulful ballads, Afro-beat, hip-hop, and reggae. Inspired by her upbringing in Nigeria, the DJ Farhot-produced LP, which has been described as Lauryn Hill meets Massive Attack, includes the title track from her The Uncomfortable Truth EP, plus singles "Beautiful," "God of Mercy," and "Africans." --- Jon O'Brien, AllMusic Review

Płyta 'Victim of Truth' oryginalnie wydana w 2005 zawiera dokonania Nneki z okresu, keidy po przyjeździe do Niemiec z ojczystej Nigerii rozpoczynala swoją karierę u boku DJ Farhota. Z płyty pochodzą także takie single jak "The Uncomfortable Truth", "Beautiful" czy "God Of Mercy". Mimo iż płyta nie 'namieszała' specjalnie na ówczesnych listach przebojów, warto posłuchać jak młoda wokalista zafascynowana Bobem Marleyem, ale i Lauryn Hill czy Mos Defem rozpoczynała swoją karierę by wkrótce stać się jedną z najważniejszych soul/hip-hopowych za naszą zachodnią granicą. ---empik.com

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