Music Seen! Nneka - "No Longer At Ease"



Another exciting new artist (that I admittedly randomly discovered on a blog) is Nigerian born artist Nneka Egbuna. Now currently based in Germany, Nneka has released 2 albums and an EP, with her debut album "Victim of Truth" garnering critical acclaim. Though relatively still unknown, she is very talented and her fame can only grow. She is already being compared to Lauryn Hill(I wouldn't go that far...yet), but she is reminiscent of L-Boogie(in her spiritual,political musical style). She also seems to be continuing in the spirit of Fela Kuti.

Which brings me to her latest album "No Longer At Ease." based on Chinua Achebe's book of the same name. I consider it an even better, more complete album than her debut. The album opens on a serious melodic note,with the haunting "Death Intro" but quickly jumps into the great single "Heartbeat" where she creates an infectious chorus by extending the words repetitively.

(review continued..)"Suffri" is another good cut on the album dealing with the Nigerian life and the countrys shortcomings. On the song "Halfcast" a nice talk-rap song she talks about her mixed-racial heritage head on with an honesty rarely heard in music. She collaborates with Pat Attah for the groovy reggae jam “Something to Say” which is one of my favorite cuts on the album. “From Africa 2 U” is a beautiful dedication song to her home Africa and is sure to invoke the beauty of the motherland in you. Things then slow down a bit on “Running Away” an ode to her love of music and feature a nice swaying melodic electric guitar.

What really impress me about Nneka are her vocal abilities which are different from the norm, in that she extends and delivers her vocals in a way that reels you into what she’s expressing. Her lyrics are also almost prodigious for someone her age (27), she is very deep and poetic. the way she tackles politics, life and spirituality make you thinks she has all the answers. Overall this is an album definitely worth picking up. Africa may have a new star in the making.



KC Blog rating: 4&1/2 stars


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