Sharlene: We were raised in the same church, House of Bread in New Cross.  Sacha’s dad and my dad were in a band.  We’ve known each other since we were born practically, about three, four.  We always sung in church for fun. We took it seriously, calling ourselves Divine Unity about the age of 16, 17, 18.  Then over the last two or so years, very seriously.

CAV: What are your various musical influences?

Sacha: All three of us, we’re all different.  So for example myself, although I was raised on a lot of traditional gospel I loved pop music.  Groups from the 80s like Madness, even people like Kylie Minogue, loved them and they really influenced my writing style.  That’s where a lot of that pop feel comes from.

Martina: I was different.   Yes I was brought up on gospel but I was [also] brought up on a lot of different things.  I listen to a lot of Frank Sinatra.  It’s just across the spectrum.

Sharlene: I was raised on traditional gospel.  But I do love Lauryn Hill, Kurt Elling, Floetry, different types of music.  When it comes together it’s like a fusion but it does come under the bracket of pop.   You can’t take the soulfulness away because of church, that’s our background.

CAV: You three all seem to have a slightly different vocal style; is that down to your varied influences?

Sacha: I always wished I could riff and do all the runs like Sharlene but my voice ain’t like that, my voice has got a much lighter sound.  Tina’s got this real deep soulful voice, she can just belt those notes.  It’s just how we are.

Sharlene:  All our harmonies are all split around.  That’s how our vocal tutor trained us.

CAV: You also share the lead vocals equally.  Was that a conscious decision at the outset of the band?

Sacha:  We’ve all got something different to add to the group.  So if it was just Tina singing all the time, there’d be something missing.  So yes it was a conscious decision.

CAV: How does songwriting work? Do you all write together, do you have a chief songwriter?

Sacha: We all write songs, all three of us.  Sometimes we come together and ideas just flow.

Sharlene: Sacha, if we’re honest, could write about this bottle!   We all write songs but Sacha loves writing songs.  I write songs purely on inspiration.  It could be something that’s happened today, a thought that someone gave me.  When you talk about a formula…we literally have a songwriting day from 11-5. We’ll have a lunch break but it’s like a work day.  We have a theme and we write songs.

Sacha: It’s not always like though, it just depends.  For me, I can be walking home from work and then a tune will just grab me.  And then months later I could go back to it and the whole idea will just come out.  Or we could be just together and just decide to write a song.  So there’s no formula.

CAV: Sharlene tell us about your acting?

Sharlene: Singing is my first love but acting is definitely a passion of mine.  I believe somehow the paths are going to cross, I’m not worried.  I’d love to be in The Lion King.

CAV: Divine Unity don’t fit into the stereotypical box, image and sound-wise, that some people might have of gospel music.  Do you find that people have particular reactions to this?

Martina:  I think we get good reactions to our music.  They don’t ever expect that from us especially.  Just thinking about Charlotte Street [Blues Bar, where Divine Unity recently had a weekly residency]; they called it a gospel brunch but when they heard our music it wasn’t what they were expecting.  So [we’re] moving that out of their mind; that it’s not the style, it’s the actual message behind it.  We’ve always had good responses, even in the places where we thought we wouldn’t.

Sharlene:  Charlotte St to be honest, we were nervous about.  We thought “OK, we’ve never done anything like this before, what are people going to think, how are they going to receive us?”  People loved it. I think the thing is everyone likes to put you into a bracket.  They want to label you.  Why? I’ve always said, and we’ll say it again and again- we happen to be Christians, we write about God but I wouldn’t necessarily say we are a gospel group.  We sing about life.

CAV: What do you think of the distinction that labels such as Christian contemporary music  and gospel music carry, when they seem to be based more on ethnicity than content?  Is there still a place for them?

Sharlene:  I don’t think you can get away from it.  Wherever you go you’re going to get labelled.  We get called a gospel group all the time.  “No, we’re not a gospel group, we’re a pop group!”  It doesn’t matter; just know who you are.

CAV: What if anything, would Divine Unity like to do in changing people’s attitudes towards gospel music for the better?
Sharlene:  I have a friend and I asked him ‘Why don’t you listen to gospel music?’ First of all he said he doesn’t see the high standard that he sees in secular music and secondly he said he can’t relate to what they are saying.  With Divine Unity, as we said, we wouldn’t call ourselves a gospel group but we do sing about life and we do happen to be Christians.  That’ll be my answer to that. Don’t be so closed to it because you might just relate to something in it.  It’s about life and it’s about love because God is love and that’s what we’re really about.

CAV: With which artists would you like to collaborate?

Martina: We’ve always said Gary Barlow.  He’s a fantastic songwriter.

Sharlene:  I’d love to work with Lauryn Hill.  I think she’s great.

Sacha: I really like Mark Ronson.  He does some really good beats.

Martina:  I think at the moment there are a lot of diverse artists joining together, for instance Kanye and Mr Hudson.  The styles put together seem to somehow work.   I don’t have a particular person; just someone who is completely different from us.

CAV: What are Divine Unity’s plans for the rest of the year?
Sharlene: We just won the Cordless Show [competition] which is great. We’re going to be recording two songs at their studio and that gives us loads of exposure.  The EP is coming out at the end of the Summer if all things go to plan.  And just gigging, gigging, gigging the whole year.

Our country is renowned for holding some of the most famous festivals in the world and they are becoming more popular than ever amongst music lovers. If indie, dance, dubstep, drum & bass and electro are your thing, then you most likely would have attended at least one or more of those festivals.

For those of us who prefer our music with a little more soul, there are other alternatives: festivals where world music, reggae, jazz and soul artists are the headline acts and that attract thousands of people. We give you a rundown of the hottest alternative festivals to visit this summer.

WOMAD
The World of Music, Arts and Dance (WOMAD) festival has been going since 1982. WOMAD co-founder Peter Gabriel, has said that this festival allows “many different audiences to gain insight into cultures other than their own through the enjoyment of music”. WOMAD has held 160 festivals in 27 countries, including: Abu Dhabi, Singapore, Australia, Greece, the US, the UK and South Africa, and in 1993 it attained the biggest festival audience in the world with 98,000 people attending the event.

With the festivals being held in various countries across the globe, WOMAD’s audience can expect to be subjected to a wide range of cultures and glorious weather conditions. As well as being entertained by the seven stages of music, the event provides participatory workshops in which the families can be taught how to make music amongst other activities. In 2001, WOMAD’s success was finally recognised as it was entered into the Guinness Book of Records as the Biggest International Music Festival in the world.

WOMAD’s 2010 line-up includes Horace Andy, best known for his work with Massive Attack, and the legendary Rolf Harris and His Band.

Where:    Charlton Park, Wiltshire
When:       23rd-25th July
How:        www.womad.org

One Love
One Love has soared in popularity over the last three years and is now the UK’s no1 reggae dub event. This year is set to be even bigger than the previous as One Love is taking place during the weekend of Jamaica’s 48th Anniversary of Independence. Spread over three days, the line-up includes major reggae artists such as Natty, Gappy Ranks, David Rodigan, Robbo Ranx and Ras Kwame.

Where:    Hainault Forest Country Park, London
When:        6th-8th August
How:        www.onelovefestival.co.uk

Hampton Court and Beer Jazz Festival
Summer has definitely arrived at the 2010 Hampton Court and Beer Jazz Festival. Following last year’s success, the festival promises to be even bigger and better with a line-up that includes James Taylor Quartet, Tony Hadley and his swing band, and James Pearson Trio. If you are looking for a place to chill out to smooth jazz sounds with a Pimms in your hand, then the Beer Jazz Festival is perfect. From sitting on the fresh lawns to eating in the soul foods gardens, the festival has something for everyone. Don’t miss out!

Where:    Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
When:      27th-30th August
How:        www.hamptoncourtbeerandjazz.com

Notting Hill Carnival
London’s most famous festival, the Notting Hill Carnival – Europe’s largest street party has united and entertained the black community since 1966. Spanning over 20 miles, every year the streets of West London shake from the vibrant sound systems and become full of colourful and exaggerated costumes. Whether you are getting your face painted or eating spicy food from all over the world, you will find everyone embracing the unique atmosphere. Previous headliners have included Eddie Grant, Jamiroquai and Wyclef Jean, so expect to be entertained by world-class artists.

Where:    Notting Hill, London
When:     29th & 30th August
How:    More info about the carnival coming soon on catchavibe.co.uk

The London African Music Festival
Going since 2003, the London African Music Festival celebrates its 8th event this year. The festival will take place in 6 venues across London including: Southbank Centre, Stratford Circus and the Jazz Café. As well as featuring artists from 23 countries, the festival will provide workshops for people to learn about the craft of making African music. Headlining the event is popular rapper MC Solaar. The successful French artist has collaborated with the likes of Missy Elliott, and never fails to put on an electric performance. Other headliners include Cuban musician Omar Sosa, Dennis Bovell and the London Community Gospel Choir.

Where:    6 venues across London
When:      10th-25th September
How:        www.joyfulnoise.co.uk

So now that you are clued up on where to go this summer, will you be attending any alternative festivals? If you need one more little push, then think about this…Cheap tickets, a few days of good music, mouth-watering food, sun (hopefully) and a happy atmosphere. What more could you ask for? Grab your whistles and show your support for alternative music festivals.

The stage name Vocal Slender is a combination of Eric’s childhood nickname and an excerpt from a Bible passage. Growing up he was called “Slender” because of his slim frame, but as he began to make music he found additional inspiration for his stage name “In the Bible I found ‘The Voice of One Crying in the Wilderness’ (John 1:23), so that could be shortened to V-O-C-W.  I then changed Wilderness to Africa, so “The Voice of One Crying in the Africa”, V-O-C-A.” The film crew from the documentary suggested that he add L at the end creating the moniker Vocal Slender.

Eric’s life took a similar twist of fate last year when what seemed like an ordinary day hanging out with friends turned into an offer from the film crew to be a part of the documentary. “I come in that day and—we are not working that day— I was entertaining some few friends and they were listening to me. Then I just look at them and say ‘who the white man watching me, why?’” The production crew explained to him that they were filming a documentary about the rubbish dump and the people who lived and worked there.

It was only after a friend introduced him to the “dump” four years before this encounter that Eric began working there to fund his recording sessions at a studio in Lagos without his family and friends knowing. He was reluctant to work there at first “I was really shocked. I was really surprised but I just give up to it if I have to do it. But God have a way of doing something. The first day I work I made 600 naira (£2.66), he’s great, all this money. That’s the way the spirit used to call me to the job. I forget about the smell. I forget seeing myself as a dump worker.” Eric focused on his dream and found a way to make working on the dump tolerable: “I will just transform myself and forget about the situation. Working on the dump I just change myself. Well, let me work this work at least working this work is to get money for my recording studio.”

Eventually Eric invited the production team to come to the studio as he recorded his popular single Owo Yapa. The production crew assured him the documentary would not be shown in Nigeria so he gave them permission to record him working on the dump. However, after the documentary aired here in April word soon spread about Vocal Slender and his music. “The documentary really open a lot of doors for me and Coko Bar brought me from Nigeria to London and did a video for me here in London.”

What’s most endearing about Eric is his humility. He’s extremely optimistic and thankful for the support of his fans here in the UK “I feel great and privileged by God. It’s not that I’m the best it’s like God loves me.” He is a firm believer in destiny and doesn’t feel like his path in life is by chance “Everything has been destined by God. A lot of people say accident, no, nothing is accident. Everything has a divine intervention.” He’s very level-headed and fully aware that where there is good there is also bad. He continues on to say “That doesn’t mean that there’s no negative aspect of it that’s trying to counter you from making it to the top. The divine aspect of it is when God is trying to push you forward there’s always a negative aspect. It’s left for the man or woman to look inward and shun the voice of the negative aspect and try to be more positive.”

Eric’s positivity gives him the confidence needed to succeed in a tough industry “My goal as a musician is to win the Grammy award but I don’t know the song I will use to win, but I have the vision before I leave the earth I will win it. I know that. I’m working on it.”

Vocal Slender’s single Owo Yapa is available on iTunes

Vocal Slender on myspace

CAV: Tell me about the band, you and Musa are the vocalists but who are the musicians and how did such an eclectic group come together?
Joshua: There were five of us when we finished our last EP Invisible Cake and now there are seven members of Benin City. We have a drummer named Theo Buckingham; two saxophonists Duncan and Sam Eagles; a trombonist called Faye Treacy; Jon Cottle plays the electric cello and finally two vocalists Musa Okwonga and myself Joshua Ehimwenma Idehen.

Musa and I met at the Poetry Cafe in 2005 or 2006; we went on tour as poets supporting people like Scroobius Pip, Laura Marling and Razorlight. At the end of 2007 Musa and I felt that performing with just a DJ (like your typical hip-hop set) wasn’t working for our live performances. It was particularly difficult to find a DJ that could cope with the way we delivered our material as it wasn’t metered rhythm but more free-flowing.  It was a chore trying to find a DJ who could match our sound and create something that was ambitious and open so we decided to opt for a live band to make our performances more dynamic.  I run a poetry jazz night called “Poejazzi” which is where I met Jon Cottle; Theo joined the group by way of an audition and the other band members we met either through friends or other musicians, which brings us to exactly where we are today.

CAV: The band is called Benin City, which is the capital of Edo State in Southern Nigeria, being that the group is multicultural why was this name chosen?
Joshua: Benin City is actually my hometown, when we first started the band, the collective of musicians was myself, Musa, Inua Ellams and Suren Seneviratne. So, one day we met and I said, “Let’s call the band Electricity and everybody was like “Electricity? That’s sh*t”. So then I said “Okay what about Benin City?” and naturally Benin City sounded like a much better idea than Electricity (laughs) and they all jumped for it and I feel quite smug about that.  As you can see there wasn’t really a grand ethos towards selecting a name for the band.

CAV:  I listened to your last EP Invisible Cake and the first word that sprung to mind was “fusion”.  It features a spectrum of different musical styles and speaks on a variety of themes.  First and foremost what on earth is Invisible Cake and what was the intention behind the EP?
Joshua: Invisible Cake actually comes from two things; firstly a video game called Portal, where you are trapped in a laboratory and you receive cake for solving puzzles and on the wall appear the words “The Cake is a Lie”.  Secondly, when I was recording the track Snake Pit, there is an extended edit where I go into a rant and say “I can see through you like invisible cake”, everybody laughed and we agreed that we should call the EP “Invisible Cake”.

Benin City isn’t a commercial band so we aren’t forced to define ourselves. As a band we are constantly chasing the idea of a good sound regardless of how near or far it might be from what we should sound like.  I personally don’t like being pigeonholed into any one genre, I like the freedom of being able to belt out some classical and then go straight into death metal (laughs) not that I would do that but I like the idea that I could if I wanted to.

CAV:  Are you going to package your new material into an EP or an album anytime soon?
Joshua: First and foremost we are a live band and as good as the EP is I think we sound even more amazing live.  Our majesty and our brilliance and grace (laughs) cannot be captured in any form of recorded media.  It would be stupid of us to sit twiddling our thumbs waiting for someone to come and say “Here is some money; I’m going to make you sound absolutely fantastic”.  We want to create a live album with brand new material, so the plan for the rest of the year is to work on at least three songs a month and from that create the best live, brass, bass, hip-hop album in the UK ever.  There has never really been a good one; for some reason other bands don’t capture the horns right and the funk is too tame.  When you listen to something like the Menahan Street Band they are amazing, the horns are like claws and the sound literally chews on your ears.

CAV:  What inspires the lyrical content?
Joshua: Social issues are the main focus and our material is based on the day-to-day things people have to deal with.  For instance, the track Boogieman was inspired by Taking Liberties, a documentary about the erosion of civil liberties in the UK after 9/11 and 7/7.  The track discusses the things the government has been allowed to get away with since these events.  The idea of ID cards terrifies me; the notion that a police officer can stop me at any time just based on the fact that he doesn’t like the look of me, is an erosion of my civil rights.  The way I see it, the establishment is trying to generate a culture of fear.  Look at how Swine Flu was reported; it doesn’t kill any more than Cholera in the world per day but we all know how the media loves a new disease.

It’s a whole culture of bad information and bad news and that boils down to, if you don’t do what we say the Boogieman will get you.  We take on a lot of serious topics but there is a tongue-in-cheek-ness to us, we don’t take ourselves too seriously.  We enjoy having fun with the material and this is best reflected in our live shows, there’s a lot more fun to be had when performing live.

CAV:  What’s Benin City’s five year plan?
Joshua: That is hard to say as the music industry has demolished all clear paths, so we have to constantly change our outlook in order to fit in with the times and take advantage of all the opportunities that are available to us.  I’d like the band to work on soundtracks; I’d love us to create a concept album; I’d like to make our performances more theatrical for example better costumes; big visual displays and I would really love to perform with an orchestra, in particular a twelve piece horn section. Ideally in five years I would like us to be a world touring band with at least three albums under our belts.  I want us to be braver than we are now and to keep on pushing ourselves musically.  To quote our bassist Jon Cottle, “everything else will come if you just make good music”.

Benin City is electric(ity), defiant and bold; their sound is a head on collision of funk, jazz, hip-hop and fill in the blank.  If you miss their next show you’ll probably never forgive yourself.  As you lay on your death bed you’ll recall the summer of 2010 and remember how you missed Benin City’s break through performance, the performance that shaped the future and eradicated war from the planet.  Okay maybe I watched “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure” one too many times as a child but seriously check out the YouTube click and I guarantee you’ll want to see Benin City live; if not for the music then to see what crazy outfit Josh wears this time round.

Download The Invisible Cake EP from Benin City myspace

Miriam Makeba – South Africa’s Skylark
Nascente Records -
Out on 21 June 2010

If you know anything about the late Miriam Makeba you may know The Click Song or Pata Pata; perhaps the commanding Amampondo from Leon Gast’s 1996 Oscar-winning documentary When We Were Kings.  The other tracks on this double CD collection show just why Makeba—who died in 2008—was regarded as the voice of Africa.

The tracks listed in this momentous compilation album were for the most part recorded whilst South Africa faced a worldwide cultural boycott due to its racist policy of apartheid.

CD1 is a perfect showcase of the early period in Makeba’s career with its distinctive South African mbube vocal style influenced by gospel, jazz and ragtime. Well-known tracks such as The Naughty Little Flea, sit alongside multi-lingual folk songs and ballads with perfectly fitting harmonies and the versatile voice of Makeba. On Liwaechi, sparse yet powerful Nyabinghi drums compliment Makeba’s mournful Marley-like vocals.

CD1 stands the test of time in a way that the more slowed down, funky and darker beats of CD2 do not. Whilst these politically driven and lyrically astute songs showcase Makeba’s powerful and expressive vocal range to good effect her voice is in some cases overpowered by the music.

Having lived and recorded in the United States in the 1960s Miriam Makeba sympathised strongly with Black America’s Civil Rights struggle and its evolution into a global Black Power movement. This period of her life is reflected in CD2 which has Makeba’s voice and observations on social issues and world politics delivered with distinct music, all soulful and many in South African styles.  The highlights are Murtala, Quit it, Malcolm X, and U Shaka . Covers of Gilberto Gil’s Mas Que Nada and Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth demonstrate an artist who, whilst promoting the culture of her homeland was not at all unaware of the music around her.

As a progressive and politically aware performer producing meaningful music Makeba was in the front ranks alongside luminaries such as Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. This excellent collection is a timely reminder of her status as an iconic artist. Shaun Hutchinson
Buy South Africa’s Skylark on Amazon

Ayobaness – The Sound of South African House
Out Here Records
Out now
Buy Ayobaness on Amazon

Ayoba is the phrase from the Rainbow Nation’s vibrant townships that sums up the anticipation and excitement of the moment.  With the World Cup about to shine a bright light on all aspects of South Africa’s culture it was intriguing to listen to this 13-track collection – an unexpected voice from the continent – featuring the vanguard of that country’s house music scene.

So forgive my possibly uneducated and probably one-dimensional approach; but to me house music is little more than background noise – a useful palette for rudimentary beats, nursery rhyme melodies, basic raps and Lil’ John style shout outs.

And although this CD is touted as a showcase of the African sounds, township culture, and global club trends that form the basis of a diverse house music scene, this introduction to the sounds of Johannesburg, Durban and other cities doesn’t change my mind.

The beats and melodies are at best ordinary and other than the raps in the native tongues of Zulu and Xhosa township English, nothing sets the collection apart from its global competitors.

Kwaito – which fused house, dancehall and r&b – was the soundtrack to the end days of formal apartheid and the foundation for the country’s developing music industry. The crisp production of each track shows how far it’s come since then.  Brief explanations of the lyrics and biographies of the DJs and producers who are driving the music forward are a useful addition to the glossy informative booklet, which comes with the CD.

The title track Ayobaness, all techno beats and heart vibrating bass line, does stand out – more for Pastor Mbhobho’s Flava Flav style delivery and persona. And DJ Sumthyn Black alongside Johannesburg poet Ntsiki Mazwai with Wena and its bittersweet lyrics (in English) of love and loss shouldn’t work in theory – but it does in practice. The intricate drumming patterns of Yes by Mgo; Stjwetla’s Survivor and DJ Steavy’s Kubi (meaning ugly, as in bad meaning good) also catch the attention. Mexican Girl by Aero Manyelo – a driving, trance like cut touches the spot, as do the vocals of Mampinsha in front of DJ Bongz on Bayakhuluma. SHANA (Simply Hot and Naturally African) blends the modern with the traditional on Iyo’londaba.

For the thousands heading to the continent for the World Cup these beats will play a part, but Afrobeat won’t have any problems in defending its crown as the music of the continent. Shaun Hutchinson
Buy Ayobaness on Amazon

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Super-groups rarely equal the sum of their talented parts on a whole album, so excuse me if the idea of Nas and Damian Marley didn’t send me into an orgasmic tailspin of joy. Nas has saddled “The Great Horse of Average” since 2002’s God’s Son, while Damian Marley is yet to realise the potential hinted by Welcome to Jamrock. All the same, here we are smack in a new decade with Distant Relatives, a collaboration between two great forces of hip hop and reggae. Does it buck the trend?

Things start good and fresh. First single and track on the album As We Enter is the kind of hip-hop you’d pay good money to dance to; sweet funky horns introduce a bumping keyboard rhythm while Nas and Damian trade gorgeous verses back and forth. Sharp, witty, with only a weak chorus cutting it from the elite class of classic banger status.

If the album was a Greek army, As We Enter would be its Trojan horse; theme-wise the album is a lot more weighty than the first track would lead you to believe. Tribal War is an appeal against violence, Marley excelling on stirring chorus, Nas maintaining his own high standards, guest K’naan doing what guests should do: stealing the limelight from both of them. On Leaders, Nas gives a touching tribute to a ghetto role model, whilst Friends (about ‘real,’ erm, friends) produces an assured turn from Damian.

Lyrically this album is near faultless; in turns honest and menacing (Dispear has Nas on ruthless form) also, insightful and touching (Count your Blessings is a highlight). Take a moment to consider; this is a positive high profile mainstream rap album in the 21st century, now with eighty percent less schmaltz or preachy-ness. That alone deserves merit.
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The partnership between Nas’s veteran East Coast rap style and Damian’s patois flow excels (not that this was unexpected, seeing as they already worked together on Road to Zion) and tracks like Nah Mean and  the aforementioned As We Enter produce a satisfying union. An excellent album with few misfires (Joss Stone should leave hip-hop alone, Hip Hop should keep child choirs from their choruses) but considering everything going against all collaborations of this sort, that’s minor. A triumph.

A few hours before he hit the stage to perform and host the live music event Groove Gumbo at The Pigalle Club in London, Eric Roberson gave an impromptu interview to Catch a Vibe. The singer/songwriter had a lot to say about his visit to London, his music and a few of his favourite things.

Eric Roberson will host Tribute to Prince at the Jazz Cafe on May 29th at 7pm

Lizzie shares her incredible journey with us.

Can you describe in a few words what kind of music you sing?
Lizzie Emeh: Soulful, from the heart, it is about my life experience. Musically speaking it is a mixture of soul, funk, r&b.

You wrote the lyrics and also took part on the music arrangements on your album Loud and Proud, could you tell us more about this experience?
When we first started recording the album, Mark Williams said to me: “Loud and Proud is your album”…I didn’t think about what would happen. Only once the recording was well under way did I realize the magic. It felt so good.  Going through the process of making the album to seeing the album finished made it feel part of myself.

What have been some of the highlights of your career?
When Beverley Knight introduced me at the Royal Festival Hall the night my album was launched, it was one of the most special moments in my career.  Although she wasn’t there in person, she pre-recorded the introduction especially for the launch.  It was a brilliant feeling.

My second special moment was when I saw my video Hard Love completed and screened for the first time at the Royal Festival Hall.

What were musicians Charles Stuart and Robbie Fordjour like to work with?
It was a privilege working with them. Charles is a great musician and it was brilliant to work with him on Loud and Proud. Robbie, he was excellent too! There were songs from the album that they felt were especially close to each of them so they put their own stamp on them.
They brought diversity and quality to Loud and Proud, they made my voice sound sweeter and of course we had a lot of fun too!

Did you learn something from them?
What I learnt is that on the next album I will push myself more.

Which artists have inspired you and influenced your music and career?
Stevie Wonder, Beverley Knight, Lauryn Hill, Temptations, The Supremes, Bob Marley & The Wailers, George Clinton and P-Funk, so many!

Do you think your music reaches both learning disabled and non learning disabled people?
Yes, yes! My music can be heard by everyone. I have had a lot of people saying to me what I do is inspirational and brilliant. I hear it from learning disabled and non learning disabled people.

You are the first solo artist with learning disabilities to launch an album in the UK, how does this make you feel?
I feel very proud. I did it not only for myself but also for all the people with learning disabilities out there.

Do you think your music career is giving you a voice in the learning disabled community?
Yeah, definitely. I can see it when they write to me, when people purchase my album at the gigs and every time they download my material.

Do you think your personal experience can inspire and make a difference in the future of other disabled artists’ careers?
I think so. People turn around and ask: “How did you do it? How did you manage with your disability?” They say: “ You have made us noticed”. I say if I can do it, so can you.

Are you working on new songs at the moment?
I’m hard at work on my next album.  This album is going to be much more focused on my feelings and I am getting more deeply involved in choosing the right sound.  I’m exploring and discovering new ways to use my voice.  We’re bringing in new collaborators to keep the material fresh.

What motivates you to keep making music?
I just have the drive to do it all the time. I get up and I feel like singing, before I go to bed I feel like singing… in the shower I feel like singing! I also love being on stage, every time I am there my adrenaline is sky-high.

How has Heart n Soul helped develop your music career?
Heart n Soul has inspired me and made me feel more serious about what I want to achieve.  Mark Williams (Heart n Soul’s Chief Executive and Artistic Director) who played the guitar on the album has always been behind me. Pino Frumiento, Heart n Soul’s founder artist has also been an inspiration. Pino has learning disabilities and has written over 50 songs. I want to be as good as Pino at songwriting.

Heart n Soul believes in me and have encouraged me to have faith in myself. It has been a lot of work but everything you want to achieve needs a lot of hard work.

Loud and Proud, Lizzie Emeh’s CD is available on iTunes or from Heart n Soul.

Call 020 8694 1632 to order a copy for £9.50 – includes postage and packaging.

Visit Lizzie’s website:
www.myspace/lizzieemeh

For more information, contact Heart n Soul:
Tel: 020 8694 1632
Email: info@heartnsoul.co.uk
Web: www.heartnsoul.co.uk

See Lizzie Emeh performing at Paradise Gardens Festival in Victoria Park, London on 19 & 20 June 2010

Highlife music originated in Ghana in the 1800s and enjoyed a golden age during the 1950s and 1960s. The defiant orchestra of talking drums, xylophones and calabash shakers layered with lutes, fiddles, penny whistles and all manner of small portable instruments provided the perfect soundtrack for a continent – chafing at the constraining binds of colonialism – to express their hunger for independence.
The seed that sprung from the heart of Ghana flowered across Africa, each incarnation distinctive. Sierra Leone built on highlife and created the hybrid palm-wine music; Congo fused it with their native soukous sound, while Nigerian bandleader Fela Kuti infused it with American funk and wah wah electric guitars and invented afrobeat.

London band Yaaba Funk have continued the tradition of mixing and blending by melding highlife, afrobeat and funk with the bass-heavy sounds that exemplify much of London music to create a new offshoot.

Their debut album, Afrobeast, comes four years after the band’s formation. It opens with the glowing introduction, Me Nye Me Dofo, a warm, funk-soaked track dominated by guitar phrases that taste of sunshine and open-air revelry. The track is dedicated to broadcaster Charlie Gillett who introduced Britain to Youssou N’Dour and Salif Keita, raising the profile of world music through his BBC radio show.
The second track, Bukom Mashie, is a reworked cover of a traditional Ghanaian song that started life as a dance-floor-filler and remains so in its latest manifestation. It begins with a stark, rump-shaking talking drum, a rhythm soon intensified by guitar and horn accents, which compliment each other in a samba-like beat. Trying not to dance is like trying to eat gum without chewing.

Afrobeast is filled with mid and up-tempo songs expertly crafted to get an audience up and moving. It is therefore remarkable that with such a rhythm driven, buoyant genre of music, two of the strongest songs on the eight-track album are the slower ones.

The restrained plucking of an electric guitar opens Kalabuliman with an aching sense of sorrow. ‘They came with the bible and left with our land’, the translation of the song’s title reads. You grasp the hurt of people betrayed by politicians and religious leaders in the mournful humming vocals and plaintive mouth organ wailing in the background.  But like the resilience of a people who rise and rise and rise a third of the way in the tempo picks up, the vocals grow in strength and horns surge confidently to punctuate phrases.  A subtle transition and the track is suddenly bold and joyful.

Mutani N’Africa (When you pray to your gods, also pray to your leaders), similarly transforms from a sombre guitar melody kept in time by a steady shaker into a strident marching drum roll with an upbeat samba feel.

Afrobeast takes highlife from the sun-scorched streets of Ghana and roots it in the urban grind of London, adding a compelling new chapter to the continuing story of a genre that galvanised a generation, underscored a movement and prevails despite the current trend for all things western. Along with delivering an accomplished album Yaaba Funk have further succeeded in capturing the energy, excitement and gaiety of their live performances. Listening to their album is like bringing the party home with you.

Afrobeast will be out on 10 May 2010

The band, renowned for tearing up dance floors with their energised and percussion-heavy live performances, was launching their debut album, Afrobeast. Earlier in the day I met up with Kessie and Paul Brett (bass and percussion) to find out how the band came together and how they managed to wrestle their incredible live sound on to a record.

How did the band get its name?

Richmond: I first came into this country when I was about 16 in 1981 and for about eight or nine years I didn’t listen to any African music whatsoever, it was all about pop and rock music. One day I just happened to be out walking and passed Sterns (world music shop), and popped in there. The first record I saw was an album called Ancestral Music from Africa. I didn’t like African music at the time but bought it purely for its appearance. The second album I bought in there was an album by someone called Captain Yaaba and the album was called Yaaba Funk. So in a way Sterns are responsible for the beginning of Yaaba Funk.

How has the band evolved over the years?

Paul: Most of us met in the African drumming / African dance scene in London. Richmond used to play with Agido, a pan African dance ensemble. Members also used to play samba not just African drums. It first started at parties where we used to say ‘Let’s have a bit of a jam,’ we’d set up all these drums and percussion instruments. The DJ would get the crowd going then we’d come on and play. Then I was like, ‘I’ve got a wicked keyboard and it’s got a really fat baseline’ so we started using that, then Richmond started singing, soon we thought, ‘we might as well have some guitar.’ Gradually we added a couple of horns, then Helen came on as another vocalist.

Richmond: Yaaba Funk is a bit like a hoover, we go around picking up new musicians. Initially it was just 15 drummers and Paul on the bass, there wasn’t any singing.

Paul: Proper drum and bass.

Richmond: It’s grown organically; it wasn’t a conscious decision to start a band.

How did you decide on highlife?

Richmond: I like to think highlife was chosen because I’m from Ghana, but it was always going to be something African because we’re all drummers. The first song we played as a band was ‘Hwe Hwe,’ we’d play it at parties and people would love it. Then Paul suggested we start writing our own songs.

Paul: I’ve always been much more interested in creating original music although there are so many great tunes from the 1970s and 1980s. There’s always a temptation to say ‘Oh this is a great tune, let’s do a version of that!’ But we’ve got a lot of ideas and there have been a lot of influences since then that we bring into our music like dub, reggae, broken-beat, house, a bit of rock and funk.

How important was it to have a recorded version of what is essentially a live musical genre?

Richmond: We’ve been around for about four years and in that time there’s been continuous talk of this album coming out. We made a promotional EP and it sounded a little too produced, fans who’d seen us on stage said, ‘This doesn’t sound like you.’ We decided next time we’d try to recreate what we do on stage. We spent two days rehearsing the songs on the album, then we went into the studio, set it all up and just recorded it as if it were live. We had dividers in there to try and separate the sound a little bit and the vocals and horns were added later but we tried to capture as much of the live feel as we could. Once you start mixing you lose certain aspects of it but overall I think we’ve done really well.

Highlife has some very political roots. Were there any political points you wanted to make?

Richmond: Kalabule Man criticizes politicians. It talks about the bad things they do and how they cheat people even referencing Fela Kuti’s songs. The lyrics – ‘They call him Mister Preacher man, they call him Mister Reverend Man, but we call him the Kalabule Man’ – talks about how religion can sometimes take over people’s lives, and steal their money. I got the line from a church that my aunt took me to. She couldn’t give birth so she went to this priest and the priest basically said if you sleep with me then you’ll be blessed.

The idea for Nyash! E Go Bite You!! came to me when I heard Tony Blair talking about weapons of mass destruction. While he was speaking his face had a little grin. When I was young my grandfather had a saying:’If you meet an animal and it doesn’t mean to do you any harm it will not show you its teeth’. Seeing Tony Blair on there talking about WMDs I just made the link.

The album’s not all about politics though. Oman Foa celebrates Ghana’s fiftieth anniversary, which is a month away and Hwe Hwe Mu Na Yi is a love song.

How did you select the traditional Ghanaian songs you covered?

Richmond: Bukom Mashie is a former-day dance floor killer. What we did with it isn’t far from the original—it’s a bit of a mash up between the original and a traditional Ga song—it’s old meets new. Hwe Hwe is a classic which we completely changed.

Why did you dedicate the first track to BBC Broadcaster Charlie Gillett?

Paul: We’d already finished the album when he died in March and we were sad because we’d listened to his show and he was someone who used to play all the world music. I can remember going out the next day to buy records I’d heard on his show. We were disappointed he’d never got to hear the album and decided to dedicate something to him. Richmond said the first track (Me Nye Dofo) was the most appropriate because it says ‘Appreciate what you have because it might not always be there. ‘

Richmond: I never met him but because of his radio show I felt like I knew him. I used to record his shows on cassette and go back and listen to them.

There have been so many variations on highlife from afrobeat to hiplife. Do you feel like you’re creating your own hybrid offshoot of highlife?

Paul: We like to call it Grimelife. I’m not playing a bass guitar which means I can get a lot of sounds on the bass synthesizer that give our music that grime feel. In the UK we make bass music, whether that be drum and bass, garage, dub step—I was like, let’s put this bass underneath the high life and add a different sound. We’ve grown up in London so we’re not going to be mellow because London’s not a very mellow place it’s quite edgy. I think we bring a bit of that edge to it.

Richmond: I think music has to evolve and if Fela hadn’t taken highlife and done what he did with it it would have remained static. I think we’d be doing him a disservice if we just took the sound and emulated and didn’t do anything to it. We’re just trying to bring it into the twenty-first century and wake people up to the fact that at one point in the 1960s or 1970s it was the music of Africa. Why should it be relegated to a museum?

High life isn’t considered hip in its homeland. Do you hope to reignite interest in African music with African youths?

Richmond: Absolutely! Back home, whatever is flavour of the month in the West is what they’ll latch on to. You go to Ghana and you see really fantastic musicians, drummers especially, but once they become successful they start using drum machines. For me the idea is to create a buzz around highlife over here so that it’ll be picked up by people back home. It’s alright doing hiplife but where does the ‘life’ in there come from? They just seem to have forgotten it.

Paul: It’s a shame because I guess it’s cheaper to get a drum machine and a synthesizer rather than getting a 12-piece band, but it’s just not the same.

Richmond: We’re never going to be able to program hip hop beats like the Americans because it’s not us. Similarly with reggae, Jamaicans are better at it. Some of the old artists do interesting things with it but the majority of African reggae is just so bland compared to where it’s come from.

What’s next for Yaaba Funk?

Paul: I think next year we’re going to tackle Europe. France has got a very strong African music scene; I think they’re more open to African and African-Caribbean music than the UK which is more cutting edge. We’ve also got a next album of material pretty much ready.

Richmond: We’ve more or less captured London. It’ll be good to take the sound out of London and possibly into Africa. I’d love to take Yaaba Funk to Ghana and Nigeria. We’ve got ideas about recording the next album in Ghana and maybe involving some of the old highlife giants if we can. Do some kind of a Buena Vista Social Club type thing.

Afrobeast is out now. Read our review of the album.

Jesse Boykins III (JBIII) is an emerging force in contemporary soul music; he has trained under Bilal, performed alongside the likes of Chrisette Michele and Eric Roberson and is due to release his second LP Love Apparatus later this year.  Jesse was in London recently headlining the Writer’s Block 2nd Anniversary show and Catch a Vibe spent an hour with the man himself to talk about music, performing and having fun in London despite being stuck in the UK due to volcanic ash.

CAV: You made your UK debut at Cargo, in April 2010 headlining the Writer’s Block show.  How did this opportunity present itself?
JBIII: I’ve been getting a lot of love from blogs in the UK and Writer’s Block just reached out.  They had been paying attention to my music and kept me in mind for the event and they emailed me and requested that I come out to perform…  I didn’t expect to get so much love from the crowd, it was definitely a good vibe and a great experience in my career.

CAV: For those that missed your last show, when will you return to London to perform?
JBIII: I’m trying to work something out for either the summer or fall.  Right now we are trying to organise a university tour but I’ll definitely be back before the end of the year because my new album is coming out in the fall.

CAV: Speaking of your new album, Love Apparatus: how long did it take you to complete this project because you released two albums Dopamine and then The Beauty Created in 2008?
JBIII: I actually started Love Apparatus before The Beauty Created, which is kinda weird.  I had completed two songs already for Love Apparatus, they were just two songs, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with them and then I went off on a tangent which was The Beauty Created album.  Later I came back and revisited those two songs and it inspired me to continue working with producer Machine Drum.  Once we started working again it took us about eight or nine months to write and record Love Apparatus.  The first single Plain should be released in June; it’s basically about being in a relationship where you have really high expectations of that person.  You think they are going to fit that image of your perfect soulmate and in the end it’s just plain.

CAV: Is Love Apparatus a concept album?
JBIII: It’s definitely a conceptual album. I like the artwork to tell the story before you even hear the songs.  With Love Apparatus in my right hand I’m holding a heart and in my left hand I’m holding the world, this represents the balance between being true to myself as artist and being able to fit in the world at the same time.  This is the first album I have written where all the songs weren’t about women, it definitely shows a lot of growth in my artistry and I’m really proud of myself.  I’m really excited about this album.

CAV: If you had to describe Love Apparatus as a recipe what would be the ingredients?
JBIII: Wow, okay.  The vibe is an 80’s theme, it’s kinda like Phil Collins meets… (laughs) I can’t even really say who else.  Love Apparatus is futuristic, soulful… it’s a musical gumbo, that’s what I’m going to call it, a musical gumbo.  It has everything in it but the main ingredient is definitely 80’s sounding synthesizers.

CAV: Describe your creative process.
JBIII: There are a wide range of ways that I start songs, I’m a writer first so it could start with a story, poem or a song.  The majority of the time I start with lyrics but I also like to create from a moment, for instance if I’m working with a musician I’ll freestyle.  A lot of songs on The Beauty Created album started as freestyles, like the song Shine (Jesse sings) ‘You’re hotter than a New York summer in a Spike Lee movie,’ that was a freestyle and then everything else come from that.  The creative process really varies, with Love Apparatus I have a song called Greyscale and me and Machine Drum, the producer I was working with on the project, started the song together at the same time.  As soon as he played me the sample I started writing and by the time he had finished making the song, I had finished the lyrics and the melody so really it just depends on the inspiration.

CAV:  You have performed alongside some of my favourite artists, Chrisette Michele and Eric Roberson and you’ve even studied under Bilal.  What’s it like working with such talented individuals and what do you take from these experiences?
JBIII: I take whatever I can get (laughs).  I always look at it as a blessing, it’s great to be around creative people that look at you and know you care about your art as much as they care about their art.  Anytime I’m in a room with Eric, Chrisette, Bilal, Dwele; people that I look up to, people that I listen to, to hear them say that they listen to me as well is always humbling, it’s like wow this isn’t real.  I always try to savour all those moments when I’m around those cats.  When I get calls from Phonte or 9th Wonder to me it’s like wow!  I’m just a kid who started recording songs in my room, I’m not signed to anyone, I put my music out myself and most of my music video we shot ourselves with no budget.  To get the respect that I’m getting is an honour.

CAV: Of all the artists you have encountered who has made the greatest impact in terms of your artistic development?
JBIII: I’ve learned so much so rapidly, it’s hard to narrow it down but I always think of moments.  One of the main moments that I remember is when I was working with Bilal, he was my voice trainer.  My first lesson with him, I didn’t sing anything, he made me exercise for four hours.  I’m dying, I’m breathing hard, trying to stay alive and then he said the lesson was over.  He then said, you see how you are breathing heavy like this, every first breath of any performance of any song you ever sing; your first breath should feel just like how it feels right now.  So that lesson was probably the one that sticks with me most.

CAV: What are your career highlights so far?
JBIII: Putting out music that I have creative control over is big to me.  My song Tabloids reached number two on the BET J (BET Jazz) charts when it was released as a music video under Erykah Badu’s Honey.  So that was probably another big thing that I really didn’t think would ever happen especially since we didn’t spend any money on that video.  Another thing would be as much travelling as I’m able to do, I love travelling.  I love experiencing different cultures; being around different energies; being in different climates; trying different foods.  I know a lot of people who don’t leave where they are from, so having the freedom to travel is a big accomplishment.  I’m about to shoot Music Matters for BET, a music special on artists who are passionate about their craft, Nneka did it first and I’m the next up so I’m going to shoot that when I get back to the States.

CAV: When it comes to the creative process you pretty much do everything, which must be incredibly liberating.  How are you able to create, promote and distribute your music without the help of a major label?
JBIII: There definitely is a process and it’s still a process, still some trial and error.  I have a team behind me, no one does everything alone, ever.  I started a label in 2007, a LLC called NomaDic MuSic with one of my best friends Sinorice Moss.  I have a manager her name is Joya Nemley, who has managed me since 2006.  I also have a creative director who is also one of my best friends and he has designed all my album artwork; my logos and directed most of my videos.   So I have a small team of people who have helped me along the way.  As far as putting my music out, it was just a matter of research.  I just looked up all my favourite artists and researched their lives.  I looked at how they released their music; the paths they took; what went wrong for them and what went right.  I also asked for a lot of advice as I knew Eric Roberson and Bilal and could just call them up and ask ‘What do you think about releasing this song this month?’ and they would give me their two cents and I would take that into consideration and then try it. So it was definitely a guerrilla approach lots of trial and error.

CAV: Based on what you’ve learned thus far what are you going to do differently when you release Love Apparatus?
JBIII: I’m going to take everything to another level, I didn’t release the last two records as I should have as far as marketing goes.  You know like putting out a single then a video; pushing singles and trying to get them on radio.  With this project I feel it’s time and everything is going to be done correctly.  I’m releasing a single in June; a month later we are going to release the video for it.  Promo videos are going to be pushed, I even recorded promo videos out here in the UK.  I’m trying to get distribution for the project so you can go and buy it in the stores.  I don’t really want to release it until I find a situation where someone calls me and asks “Where can I get your CD?” and I can say “Go to HMV”.

CAV: According to your twitter post you are shooting a music video for the song Amorous from your 2008 release The Beauty Created.  Why are you shooting a video for an album you released in 2008 and why did you decide to shoot it in London?
JBIII: I really wanted people to remember The Beauty Created album and the last video would signify the end of something.  I wanted it to be Amorous because it’s everyone’s favourite song; it’s my favourite song; it’s the top selling song on iTunes and when I’m on stage and I say the next song is Amorous I get a great reaction from the audience.  So the video is like a thank you for the support I’ve received from everyone.  At first I wasn’t sure if I should do it because it doesn’t make sense from a marketing stand point but from an acknowledgement stand point it definitely does.  I’ve been watching these old French romance movies from the 60s and it inspires this concept that I came up with for the video and because we got stuck here in London due to the volcano I was like we gotta do it.  The shoot was really fun, it was like we were sight-seeing while shooting the video.  We shot some footage on the London Eye; on London Bridge; in front of Buckingham Palace; Trafalgar Square and everywhere that tourists go.

CAV:  If you could form a soul super group to record one track with, which artists would you select?
JBIII: Okay here goes my soul super group: Little Dragon, a band from Sweden, the lead singer Yukimi Nagano is amazing; Bilal; Aretha Franklin; Bjork and Marvin Gaye.

CAV:  What would you be doing in a parallel universe, if music wasn’t an option?
JBIII: I would definitely be doing something along the lines of entertainment or teaching.  I used to teach elementary school for a while and I act on the side sometimes, so if my career had nothing to do with music it would be either be acting or teaching.

Well thankfully we exist in this time space so the world can experience Love Apparatus scheduled to be released in autumn and albums yet to come from the talented, charismatic and passionate Jesse Boykins III.

We voted The Beauty Created as one of the top soul albums of 2009

Keep up with Jesse on MySpace and  Twitter

Confession time! I’ve never been a big fan of Erykah Badu’s previous material. I’m sorry. There were a few singles I could say I grew fond of but as far as albums are concerned Ms Badu was always ”too” something; too much jazzy bass on Baduzism, (I got it way too late in 2006) and too much kookiness in Mama’s Gun. Worldwide Underground was going somewhere, but only on three songs, and with New Amerykah Part One, well…politics and soul are strange bed-fellows; get it right and you’re the voice of a generation, get it even slightly wrong and you’re preachy pap, or even worse, come off as someone with a chip on their shoulder that they can’t really work into words so they rant over beats in the hope that the volume plus melody will explain everything to the listener.

Labelled ‘neo soul’ alongside Jill Scott and D’Angelo did her no favours, with her distinct raspy nasal singing voice and her reliance on whimsy lyrics; not that either are bad, just not applied properly. I could see she was capable of an album as wholly touching and memorable as Who is Jill Scott but like a clumsy cook, the good ingredients were measured wrong and there are only so many times you can release a ‘flawed genius,’ before people quit the genius and just say ‘flawed.’ I realise I am probably alone in this line of thinking.

So here comes New Amerykah Part Two: Return of the Ankh, and you’re probably wondering what a heathen like me is doing reviewing this album. I’ll tell you because I like it. Sorry, I love it. I love it to death. I think it’s the best album of 2010. I think it’s the best album she’s ever done.
Erykah’s writing over the whole album has gained joyous focus. Perhaps it was a prior decision to make this album purely about emotion/love that’s stripped her of reason to soil the broth with meandering songs; there’s a purer honesty and maturity to work than ever before, more depth in her narrative. On Loving You, she proclaims ‘You’re loving me… and I’m sipping your gin/You’re loving me…and I’m fucking your friends.’ Fall in Love (Your Funeral) features the warning, ‘You don’t wanna fall in love with me.’ Amy Winehouse is currently losing sleep.

Sonically, Part Two accomplishes the rare feat of nodding to nostalgia whilst sounding fresh and modern. Ten Feet Tall, the moody opener where she states her refusal to give up on a cold lover, features the sound of bedsprings. Bedsprings! Gone Baby Gone is all eighties-lite synth heaven with a 90s baseline groove. Incense sounds like a deleted track off of Common’s Electric Circus, and Agitation, with its Herbie Hancock Watermelon Man keyboard vibe, continues that age old tradition of having a wicked song as nothing more than an interlude. It’s a soul album through and through blessed with all of the genre’s best attributes; little pretension, memorable, heartfelt tunes, it cuts to the bone of the matter and has a couple of songs that might make it to a dance floor.

Erykah has, for me at least, finally achieved whole-scale the brilliance hinted at on the single On and On when I first heard it blare out of the speakers while I was in Nigeria. This is the first Erykah Badu album I have ever listened to on repeat, repeatedly. Buy it or pay to see her live.

Support comes from the ever reliable  Andreya Triana (Gilles Peterson, Bonobo) who finishes her set with a sparkly cover of Chaka Khan’s Ain’t Nobody. Soon comes James’ bassist and pianist on stage. They engage the night with some improvisation, I imagine to set the tone. A seamless switch into the first song, Code, and Jose James descends, sharply dressed, understated but classy as if  to say ‘here’s what your twenty pounds per ticket got me.’ Jordana De Lovely, who featured on his new album, accompanies him on. Inbetween Code he launches into a two minute freestyle where his rich voice mirrors the bass almost note for note with what must be the elder offspring of rap and melody. Impressive is the word I’d use to describe it. Very.

Jose follows with Save Your Love for Me (and thanked Nancy Wilson for the original and Detroit Love Letter (‘This is for all the Moodyman fans’ says Jose.)

The bad news is this is a strict second album set. The good news is his second album has so many gems it sort of makes up for the slight. Night-highlight Blackmagic brings the Jazz Cafe audience to a pregnant silence. Love Conversation, one of the album’s shining stars, sees Jose partner with Jordana; their voices and gestures in a beautiful symmetry which had ‘classic moment,’ neon printed all over it.

Rounding off with house-influenced Warrior, Jose wraps the show. Mellower than his usual gigs but in no way inferior, and backed by a really, really, really tight band, Jose showed in person what anyone who’s ever heard him on record already knows; cat’s got skills, and then some. And with  a packed out audience of mostly 20 to 30 year olds, it’s fair to say he’s definitely bringing in some new faces to the world of jazz.

Michael Franti has earned his reputation on the outer borders of left field hip-hop since the early 1990s. With The Beatings, The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and, since 1994, fronting Spearhead he has spent the best part of two decades touring and performing with everyone from Public Enemy, U2, Ziggy Marley, and REM to Digable Planets, Cypress Hill, The Fugees, and A Tribe Called Quest.

Never afraid to experiment or collaborate either his passionate and sincere lyrics on peace, globalisation and the environment have established him as an intellectual conscience of the music scene.

All Rebel Rockers –the follow-up to the critically acclaimed Yell Fire – is his most recent album. With rock touches and dub vibes Franti moulds his thought provoking ideas to a reggae beat. Recorded at Anchor Studios in Kingston, Jamaica in 2008 with production by legendary riddim twins Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare this eclectic collection clearly targets the intensity of Spearhead/Franti’s renowned live performances.

Joined on four tracks by charismatic Jamaican actress and singer Cherine Anderson [A Little Bit of Riddim, Say Hey (I Love You) and Soundsystem]; and Marie Daulne from Zap Mama [High Low] Franti brings his experience of world tours and global travel to strong, intelligently crafted lyrics.

The reggae tracks – distinctly ska, old school and rootsy – are strengthened by Cherine Anderson to best effect on the upbeat, platinum-selling reggae/dancehall-flavoured Say Hey (I Love You).

Franti’s whispered delivery is perfect with the hypnotic melody and insistent hook of High Low [Featuring Zap Mama] balancing just right with the strong voiced Marie Daulne. With the delicate, acoustic folk-soul of Nobody Right Nobody Wrong Franti’s restrained performance climaxes into a rousing rock style electric anthem.

Funk and hard rock collide on Soundsystem with Cherine Anderson bringing powerful vocals to a deep bass line and festival style track, which aims fire at the world’s social and political problems. Similar lyrics frame inspirational and heartfelt Hey World (Don’t Give Up Version) where subtle strings and pulsating keyboards offer a lament for an alternative world.

This collection of 13 tracks mixes memorable beats and music with Michael Franti’s socially concerned lyrics. It’s not all heavy going though; he shows a spiritual side with love songs and erotic ballads. The best of these are the bass heavy, dub style love song All I Want Is You, the infectious guitar lick driven I Got Love for You and sensual ballad Have a Little Faith.

The bare-foot singer’s voice is surprisingly versatile, if not always smooth and effortless. Stylistically, what’s lacking in vocal quality is made up for with fiery delivery. That space on the left field is well deserved.
Shaun Hutchinson

Red Earth Collective Featuring Soothsayer Horns.
Red Earth Dub (Red Earth Records)
Out now

Imagine you’re at one of those big music festivals. It’s mid afternoon and the sun isn’t shy and the grass is crunchy. You’re in aimless-wander-about-mode in your dirty T-shirt and shorts. Your ears catch the unmistakeable sound of dub. You walk over to a small stage where the audience is lying on the grass, sitting down or making awkward body gestures that can be considered a distant cousin of dancing.

You turn to the band at hand where the bass has been marinated in reverb, echo is dispatched with impunity and the horns are like horns on any other dub record. Every now and then a strange sonic effect spans out of the speaker like a West Indian interpretation of the Doctor Who theme tune. Sharp keyboard stabs to keep your mind from drifting too far into trance-ville. This is dub designed for that bit before sleep; it feels like the musicians have restricted themselves to playing at a tempo barely above ‘lullaby for adults.’

You think about giving the band a few more listens before you ask someone what their name is. The introduction of strings breaks the lull for one song, your eyebrow arches. A cover of Outkast’s Spottieottiesupaliscious is a mid set highlight, but if you wanted covers, Easy Star All-Stars have that, erm, covered. By track eight you’ve given up waiting for some personality or freshness and start a chat with whoever is closest. If not, you’re either asleep or appreciating the overall beauty of the sky like you haven’t done in a long time. By track thirteen you’re totally zoned out. The band realises they may have sonically lobotomised their audience, so they crack out the afrobeat rhythms on the last track, Africa, complete with Fela-esque poetry. You now have permission to sway.

And when it’s done, you clap, you whoop, maybe whistle once and say ‘well done, lads’ before moving on to something else.

Now snap back to reality. You spent an hour plus on a mild diversion. Red Earth Dub was the soundtrack.
Joshua Idehen

Somi
If The Rains Come First (ObliqSound)
Out now

Let’s start with what’s good; Somi has a wonderful voice. She sings in a very breathy fashion like she’s furnishing her words with air, like a loud pleasant whisper kissing the ear, familiar yet fresh. Her album, If the Rains Come First, feels like I’m in a studio session of seasoned professional musicians, the percussion (congas) in particular producing some stand-out rhythms. If this review was about skill, this album would get an A or an A-minus, but Somi’s songwriting doesn’t include a lot of imagination, and none of the songs on this album rise above just ‘meh.’

The album isn’t bad it’s just uninspiring. Maybe there was a void for a world music equivalent of Katie Melua. At its worst it harkens to that region-less African Soul, made by/for people who have never been to Africa but wanted something ‘Africa-lite.’ At its best it’s reminiscent of Zap Mama’s Ancestry in Progress; very little personality, lots of unadventurous world-beat. The bassist is riffing on autopilot, the drummer’s on co-autopilot, the pianist is phoning it in from the terminal, and the percussionist’s hard work crashes and burns on the runaway of bland. No excitement bothers these melodies, there’s very little drama and nothing here moves the spirit.

Perhaps this might’ve been overlooked if the lyrics had been better, but bar a few flashes of decency, Ms Somi’s writing treads the line between ‘alright’ and ‘downright  amateur’. Track three, Wallflower Blues, for example, begins with a concerted effort by the musicians to rescue this album from the mediocre pit stop with some initially deliciously mournful melodies, but then she drops the Anvil: ‘ask her to dance, and she’ll be sweet, ask her to dance, and you’ll fly away.’ It’s the kind of pretentious-mysterious-means-nothing-meh that only sounds good when you’re drunk or not really listening.

That said, if middle of the road, inoffensive, safe, made-to-order is your thing, then Somi deserves a space in your CD Collection. But then again, you wouldn’t be reading this site if it was, would you?
Joshua Idehen

The larger than life, bubbly singer and all-round entertainer tells catchavibe.co.uk why going alone may have been one of the wisest decisions of her career so far.

When it comes to talking about black artists and conformity, the views of the singer are clear. There is a box, “that one box they put all African artists in. I don’t tick that box” she says. For Wunmi having a very individual sound to her voice is a positive and a negative. Her English and Nigerian roots do not conform to the “American voice” that black singers seem to have she tells me.

It seems black artists in all genre of the word, film, music, art feel meshed into one confinement; conformity. It was Horace Ové, the pioneer of black British feature films who said: “They say black this and black that and they put you in a black rubbish bag.”

Wunmi is proud of her roots but believes if you do not sound like someone else you will have difficulties getting into the market. She even jokes that the only way to get ‘in’ nowadays is to go on ‘talent’ programmes like Pop Idol and the X Factor.

Wunmi’s first album ALA, released in 2006, was funded by herself. Having sung collaborations with other artists for their albums, Wunmi found the easiest way to create an album was to work on a swap basis: “I recorded by doing swap deals with producers and people I had done collaborations with. That’s how I pulled that one out” she says. Wunmi’s view on record labels is simple: “You have to pull the labels, you as the artist now have to do all the work, whether you are signed or not. The labels are too scared, too broke and are not doing the job they used to do, that is long gone.”

So in order to chase her dream Wunmi chose to create her own Kick Starter project. Kick Starter is a funding platform for creative people: musicians, filmmakers, etc where they appeal to the crowd to raise finance for their projects. Having heard about the system online, Wunmi says: “It feels like a family project, your friends and family can be a part of the project and the funding.” Adding, “The label no longer matters; it is your fans that matter. Promotions don’t pay! – you have to love the job and have people who love your music.”

If anything, the most surprising thing from our conversation is the fact that many of Wunmi’s friends who are with a label are looking to go independent: “Even now I have a lot of friends who are looking to get off their label, so I thought to myself, why am I trying to get signed if everyone else is getting off. There must be a reason for that” she says.

Hoping to raise $15,500 Wunmi was left in disarray when the Haiti earthquake struck ten days before her funding project was to end. The catch with the Kick Starter project is that the full amount has to be raised within a certain time barrier otherwise the money goes back to its pledger’s, leaving the artist with no funding. With ten days to raise $10,000 Wunmi was caught in a catch 22, on the one hand she wanted to follow her dream, but on the other hand she felt she was being selfish asking for money when there were others left stranded, hungry and alone. But she did manage to merge both goals: raise money for her album and for charity:  “You have to give back. All profit should be donated to a cause, mine is children, the children of Haiti.”

Thanks to 81 backers Wunmi raised over $17,000 which will cover all expenses from studio hire to the mastering and manufacturing of the eco-friendly digipak CD. Wunmi is now on her way to Ghana where she will record her album with the help of Ghanaian music producer Kwame Yeboah and musical director Jeremy Mage. The album, currently untitled will feature local musicians from Ghanaian punk bands. With her album due to be released by mid summer 2010 Wunmi is excited about the vibrancy and energy in Ghana right now. Having found a strong fan base in Ghana Wunmi says she has come to realise the best attitude to have in an industry that is so competitive is “what will be will be”.

Check Wunmi’s website for updates on the making of her new album