Nneka's style could be described as Bob Marley meets Erykah Badu with a heavy African influence. This young, relatively still unknown, German-based Nigerian-born singer offers her very own experiences, beliefs and causes she eagerly supports. Nneka, originally from the Igbo ethnic group, has tries a few styles through her career extending from hip-hop, reggae, trip-hop and soul with a world music twist. Spending her childhood in her hometown of Warri, Nigeria Nneka tells stories that explore the diversity of African culture, the clash of modern thinking with traditionalism and the struggles that most African go through on daily basic. Criticizing capitalism and the self-absorption of Western societies Nneka makes some excellent good points that deserve to be heard out loud. To me Nneka is another living proof that music can still have a definite social connotation.
The second day of Park Live Fest in Sofia was definitely the lowest point in the whole program. First of all the line-up was less than intriguing. Another thing was that the audience was definitely less than for Tricky, the previous day. The headliner was the British-Jamaican rapper Roots Manuva, who mixes hip-hop with electronica, reggae, dub and even gospel. I admit that just a couple of weeks ago I knew him only by his moniker, but spent enough time getting to know his style. The mere fact that he mentions that many various styles and extensively concentrates on social issues made me attend his gig, drawn by the charm of a rapper who has something to say for real.
I guess, I should start from the very start which was given by the Gypsy orchestra Karandila, which as I was told had to play for over two hours. Don't worry about the poor guys, they are used to the prolonged performances and I assure you that Karandila could have been on stage all night long and beyond. The orchestra was followed by DJ Lord from Public Enemy, who had a few surprises on his turntable. His set was dominated by pop and rock tracks, which was kind of surprising as we expected him to bury us deep in the sands of black music. He made the audience boogie-woogie and still he showed more passion than we did...what a pity. DJ Lord and Karandila tried out to improvise together, which didn't end up as well as expected. Anyways, the last performance before Roots Manuva was of the band Ruth & Unlimited. In one word: L A M E! Their whole performance was absolutely annoying and nerve-racking. They sounded if they played together for the very first time: unorganized and distorted. After being tortured to the maximum with Ruth's constant pleads to come closer to the scene and dance to the rhythm, and waiting some more twenty minutes for the main act to begin, finally Roots Manuva made his appearance. He was backed up by two DJs and a side singer, whose name I didn't get to hear (understand to be more precise). Honestly I felt wrong while watching Roots, because it turned out that the majority of the people there actually listened to him and they did know the songs. Still, this didn't ruin my fun and I got my groove on. Due to problems with the police (I never got to find out exactly what) the program had to be rescheduled and pulled back with almost two hours, which after all ended up in no more than an hour suspension. It was announced that Roots will appear on stage at 21:00, which caused havoc among his fans as many of them expected him no sooner than 22:00 and they were rushed into the venue, although he didn't appear on stage earlier than 21:30. I am saying all of this, because the organizers had to push the rapper to shorten his performance and drop a few songs, which brought addition tension to the atmosphere, which was going down the spiral after the dubious warm-up performance by Bulgarian band Ruth & Unlimited. The rescheduling almost ruined Roots Manuva performance, but the management obviously managed to win extra 45 minutes.
Rodney Smith, Manuva's real name, played it safe and entirely backed his gig on his most prominent stuff, which was eagerly and passionately appreciated by hip-hop fans. Even I managed to distinguish at least a few of his songs, although they were slightly rendered. Talking of rearranged versions I should say that not the changes made it difficult for me to recognize them, but the horrible sound system the organizers had provided. The bass was so heavy that for most of the concert I couldn't hear any proper singing and at certain moments there was nothing but blasts and distortions. Among the performed songs were "Bashment Boogie", "Witness (1 Hope)", "Sinny Sin Sins and, "Dub Styles", at least those I managed to distinguish.
His back-up had parts on all of the songs, even those which on the albums were solo performed and he was more passionate than Manuva himself. There was chemistry between them and they proved to be a good combo, although we didn't really care about anyone else but Roots. At 22:00 they announced that the gig was over as they were forced to put an end to it. Umm, yeah, but we did already know its a hoax and nobody bought it. The more the concert neared its end the more annoyed I was feeling. It felt like forever until the last song. I don't know why, but the second part of the performance was blunt and tedious with an uncertain pace and lame improvisations. I have never been happier to hear "Thank you and goodbye". I couldn't stop clapping my hands as I was doing it to make sure this was the very end of Day 2. Indeed, it was.
The videos are courtesy of YouTube user superchiko
It's been a long time since I last listened to something as bad as Asher Roth's debut studio album "Asleep in the Bread Aisle". Excuse me for being that honest from the first sentence, but this album is a pure waste of time...and space. Pretentious rapping, dull lyrics and lack of originality make this debut absolutely obsolete.
Asher Roth is a fresh name in the hip-hop scene, but he makes a disastrous first impression. I wonder how did he actually got to sign a deal, having in mind the quality of his first record, which sounds as if college rock meets amateur rapping. I gave my best to understand his rapping style, but mumbling words without any real rhythm can't be passed as such. Roth is another fine example why the majority of white people are incapable of rapping and an album like "Asleep in the Bread Aisle" could hardly be taken as a serious music product.
Probably Mr. Roth surely has his fans among US college fraternities or is kind of suitable for some teen American drama series and still in Europe his approach to music will remain dubious and rather distasteful. Admirable is the honesty Roth demonstrates throughout the album, which could have been his ticket to major recognition. Sadly, for him, honesty is a vicious friend, who likes to stab you in the back while kindly smiling. Plus the lyrical content is annoyingly predictable: chicks, getting high, drinking till the very last memory is wiped out, promiscuity and parties combining all of the before mentioned. Really? Cause we had no idea what shaking the trunk and doing spliff mean and only gurus like Asher could make it clear for us.
Despite including a load of guest performances and desperately trying to sound like a whitey with a black rap soul Asher Roth demonstrates doubtful skills and rather crude final product, which may easily find its spot among the weakest albums of 2009. For those who expect nothing more than a college freak out party should get their hands on "Asleep in the Bread Aisle", and for the rest saving yourselves a few bucks is the best thing you can do.
Songs to hear: "She Don't Wanna Man", "Lion's Roar" and "His Dream"
Energy never dies they say? Hmmm, think again! Black Eyed Peas sound like this actually is The END (without the dots) and after a few listens I should agree with them shutting down business sooner or later. Don't worry, they are not breaking up...yet. Still, this is no explanation for the rather disappointing quality of "The E.N.D", which is their fifth studio effort.
"Boom Boom Pow" definitely was a hook-up with a more electronic sound and futuristic pre-taste dipped in dance beats. Sadly, the album contains too few hook-ups and after several listens the whole idea has gone to waste. Not that I really had high expectations for anything released by Black Eyed Peas, especially after the launch of Fergie' solo reach-out for extra cash and fame, but "The E.N.D" is cramped with tedious punch lines, boobies and trunks in jeans and (f)actually few good dance tracks. The worst thing is that they have tried out to include as many of their ideas as possible and it all turned out into a screwed up mess. Attempts have been made, but the majority of them have crashed and burnt.
You remember Destiny's Child? Yeah, Beyonce's trampoline to success...right! You do recall they used to say they were a band, although we all knew that the greedy B was taking most of the vocal credits. Now move it all to Black Eyed Peas, but instead of Beyonce place will.i.am. What do you see? Really? So did I! "The E.N.D" is another will.i.am and others project featuring from time to time the singing efforts of fellow band members. Fergie, of course, is second in charge of the singing parts, although she can't beat the presence of will.i.am throughout the album. Didn't he have a solo career where to share all of his music ideas and mambo-jumbo? Excuse me for being to pushy, but I really don't like bands openly dominated by a single member. If you doubt listen to "The E.N.D" and calculate the album-time that will.i.am takes up!
Anyway, the whole electropop spinal cord supporting the album structure doesn't really fit Black Eyed Peas. It actually reminds me of Kanye West and his "808s & Heartbreak" album, which was an intriguing combination of electronica and hip-hop. On the other hand "The E.N.D" sounds more like a super drunk party of genres, which ended with a furious fight and unexpected hook-ups.
Fergie is desperately trying to sound sexy and sleazy, tempting and provoking, but her improvement still hasn't seen the light. She should think of picking up a career as a screamo vocalist or finally hiring a vocal coach! Please, Stacy, stop whining instead of singing. Oh, yeah, and confessing that you like holding the bottle tight is no surprise to us...for real! The others demonstrate almost no creativity, their lyrics have lost even the last traces of wisdom, as well as bringing you to the verge of committing a suicide after dancing yourself to exhausting, figuratively saying. Truth is "The E.N.D" had an interesting dance concept, which was lost while trying to be exceedingly original and club-friendly. The END.
Songs to hear: "Boom Boom Pow", "Imma Be", "Out of My Head" and "Electric City"
Sometimes silence is golden for real! Such is the case with Eminem and the newest add-up to his record history named "Relapse". After five years full of lows among which a pill-addiction, an eleven-week marriage to his two-time wife Kimberly Scott, the murder of his close friend the rapper Proof and producing career with a rather mild success, Eminem ended his hiatus giving a new flow to his solo music. "Relapse" is also expected to be followed by "Relapse 2", which is to be released some time this year.
"Relapse" is entirely based on the rapper's experience during his prescribed drugs addiction, as recordings started immediately after finishing his rehabilitation. This albums also marks the return of his well-known alter-ego Slim Shady, who eagerly demonstrates his indulgence into recreational drugs and craving for serial killing to some extent. Eminem sings about murdering Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan and makes fun of plenty of other famous persona. The rapper admits that apart from his own experience he has also drawn inspiration from documentaries on killers and movies dedicated to them, thus the more gruesome and darker lyrical content.
Dr. Dre is again the one standing behind the production part of this album, which is no surprise to anyone I guess. He can also be heard on two tracks: "Old Time's Sake" and "Crack a Bottle". The second one is a collaboration with 50 Cent, who is expected to release an album of his own later this year. "Relapse" is Eminem's album with the least guest performers on it for his entire career, allowing him to concentrate more on his own ideas and let them extensively develop.
Despite all the personal background that "Relapse" projects it does lack certain points of originality, sounds rather crude, distasteful and out of real emotions. Few new topics are introduced, but as a whole you have Eminem's usual dissatisfaction with the things in his private life, moaning and bitching around like violence is actually THE resolution. The mommy issue is present, as well as the love you-hate you situation with his ex-lovey-dovey wife, which have become less or more a burden in his last works. His lyrical killing spree provoked by Shady's uncontrollable drug addiction and the horror elements incorporated in several of the songs may be considered as a plus to his die-hard fans of brutality, but to the rest it may sound more of pushing things up in an unknown direction. Actually "Relapse" sounds to me as a desperate shout for help after a serious nervous breakdown and I tend to believe that Eminem is still not sure where the hell he is actually heading to.
Songs to hear: "3 a.m.", "Bagpipes from Baghdad", "We Made You", "Medicine Ball" and "Must Be the Ganja"
Some albums are meant to be groundbreaking, other groundbreakings are meant to be albums. N.A.S.A.'s album "The Spirit of Apollo" is somewhere in between, released as an album, which can hardly hold up its shaky structure and the spectacular 40-something guest performances. Yep, you've read it right! The album's 17-track list contains more than 40 appearances by other musicians. Although stylistically "The Spirit of Apollo" is placed in the hip-hop niché, it hardly fits any strict boundaries of genre.
N.A.S.A. which stands for North America / South America is a DJ collaborative project, consisting of Ze Gonazales (DJ Zegon) and Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean), who started spent the last five years experimenting with music before they came up with the idea of recording an album, which will feature as many as possible favourite singers...thus "The Spirit of Apollo" was born. It all would have been great if the guest performances were not three or more in a single song. The whole album sounds so cramped that at a certain point you just can't decide whether a new song has started or it's just another guest on this very track.
Several of the collaborations are pretty bad, especially those featuring David Byrne from Talking Heads and Tom Waits...despite all the efforts the songs are waste of time and talent. Others manage to fit quite well, among which Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Lykke Li, although their presence is in no way compelling or adequate. The main thread throughout the album is the inadequacy of guest performances, the unusual combination of alternative with hip-hop, or the constant change of pace and beat. "The Spirit of Apollo" is more of a show-off of the extensive buddy list that N.A.S.A has than the mere act of creating an elaborate compilation of vocals and music coming from various backgrounds.
I should complement the electronic duo for the idea to bring M.I.A. and Santigold together in a song, although the final product can hardly pass for a proper collaboration between the two. The presence of Lovefoxxx from Cansei de Ser Sexy is more than mediocre, repeating a few words throughout the whole song. Similar is the performance of Karen O, who is given the chorus, which consists of maximum two sentences. After all when you have a gazillion of guests most of them get a rather lame part, narrowed down to mumbling several words. Definitely the stylistic core of "The Spirit of Apollo" is hip-hop music, but when you invite performers from other genres you have to find the acceptable balance. N.A.S.A. didn't get it right...this time.
Songs to hear: "Money", "Gifted", "Wachadoin?", "Strange Enough" and "Spacious Thoughts"
N.A.S.A., which stands for North America/South America, is the dream-come-true for Sam Spiegel (Squeak E. Clean) and Ze Gonzales (DJ Zegon), who have teamed up to create music cramped with all their favourite and hyped singers, coming from various genres and backgrounds. I still haven't listened to their debut album "The Spirit of Apollo", but as soon as I get my hands on it a review is going to be posted. Today's post is dedicated to the single "Gifted", which has as guest stars Kanye West, Santigold and Lykke Li. "Gifted" happens to be their fourth single in a row. Although the song sounds a bit too crowded with the separate guest-stars I like the combination of Lykke Li's soft vocals with the rapping of West and the distinctive singing of Santi White. Probably not the most impressive track I have listened these days, but still worth listening.
The biggest white midget in hip-hop found all the parts of a jigsaw and came back to life with a new album, which is a confusing mixture between electronica and grime. "Jigsaw" is Lady Sovereign's sophomore attempt in the music bizz, following a series of professional misfortunes in the last year, topped by being kicked out of Def Jam run by Jay-Z, but immediately went under the wing of EMI.
"Jigsaw" is your regular party album with plenty of dance tracks and good beats. You have Sovereign with her sarcastic lyrics, you have the spirit of grime, and still the whole product lacks distinctive originality. At several points it sounds so desperate for freshness that it virtually cries out for ideas. What surprises me is the fact that Sovereign did actually have troubles in the past few years and still nothing brought the light to this record. As soon as she released "Public Warning" critics started comparing her impeccable talent with The Streets, although she received a heavy support from the American hip-hop scene rather than England's.
Sovereign is more electronic than ever before, which could be a big plus if the whole electro stuff didn't sound out of place and order. Most of the tracks are a havoc of grime, electronica and rap beats, which would have been great if this was M.I.A. new release...but it's not and it just doesn't suit her. As a whole Louise, the rappers real name, has tried to sound more accessible and commercially acceptable, thus giving "Jigsaw" a lighter and cleaner structure. Big mistake! "Public Warning" was relatively positively met by the critics due to its satire, loads of sarcasm and witty texts, bringing a new light to the skills of female rappers. This time you have a less confident record, which explores too well-known thematic spheres like relationships, trust, entertainment and similar.
The major controversy in "Jigsaw" is caused by sampling of the song "Close To Me" by The Cure for the single "So Human". Underground MC Thomas Jules already had the rights to use the original version. The idea to use this song as a backing track was given to Sovereign by an Island Records execute after hearing Jule performing his version. Robert Smith, The Cure's frontman, has stated that he prefers Jules' song to Sovereign's track, despite the last being worldwide distributed.
Songs to hear: "So Human", "I Got You Dancing", "Bang Bang" and "Jigsaw"
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