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Review
The follow-up to the generally lauded 2006 debut Chimurenga Soul sees London-born, Zimbabwe-raised and (currently) Bristol-based singer Netsayi continue to assert herself as a strong, bold character willing to run the full gamut of emotions in the manner of the best torch singers or troubadours.
There is salty humour on Top Cop, puppy love vertigo on Punch Drunk and a near acidic anger on Weaves and Magazines, a track that is a literal attack on a treacherous friend and perhaps a figurative swipe at music industry gatekeepers intent on making a neat commodity of cultural complexity. Musically, this means Netsayi is in a near constant state of flux, veering seamlessly from an explicit rock lexicon, with a snapping, square rhythmic identity to lithe, circular riffs that make her African heritage more explicit, even more so when a mbira undulates into action, almost as an effete countermelody to the guitar-bass foundation.
Over a dozen concise, tightly marshalled tracks the stylistic domino topple is an engaging, absorbing one, but on more than one occasion, Netsayi’s compositional signature, often dramatically presenting the melodic line as practically stuttered, speech-like phrases, could be pushed further down a developmental road. Her latent jazz sensibility would accommodate the occasional push of the voice towards soft, legato tones to create stronger dynamics, and it’s a shame that producers Jonathan Quarmby and Kevin Bacon haven’t ushered her on to this territory.
Yet in its many moments of triumph, Monkeys' Wedding re-channels pop and folk sensibilities with an imagination that befits the artist’s widescreen culture, hence a piece like Punch Drunk appears, on first hearing, as a beautifully strange, subtle extrapolation of a flamenco rhythm, but on repeated plays it reveals itself to be an artful remodelling of Grace Jones’ artful remodelling of Edith Piaf’s La Vie En Rose.
Fully embracing her position on the cusp of African and European cultures, right down to the unique way her accent slides right between ‘Zim’ and English, Netsayi is an artist whose future is anything but calculatedly predictable. Which is a reason to be more than cheerful. --Kevin Le Gendre
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CD Description
Netsayi’s new album is her much-anticipated follow-up to 2006’s widely-praised, self-produced debut Chimurenga Soul. The batch of new songs that have become its sequel were written by Netsayi, and then recorded at home. Striving as always for the freshness of the moment, those demo recordings are the basis of the finished album which is produced by in-demand producers Jonathan Quarmby and Kevin Bacon. After prestigious performance at London’s Folk Day at Trafalgar Square and the Shanghai World Music Festival, Netsayi’s live plans extend through 2009, including an eyecatching support slot on the huge UK tour this coming October and November by Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
After reading a rave review of this album by Howard Male (IOS) I thought I'd give it a listen - chiefly because I wanted to be able to tell him how wrong he was! But sadly he was right, and I now wish I had been able to catch her in one of her shows this year with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Perfectly layered, full of quirky lyrics and sounding (at times)a little like Tracey Chapman, Netsayi succeeds in producing something that sounds fresh and original, and, since there's not a lot of originality around at the moment, that is definitely a Good Thing.
Perfectly layered, full of quirky lyrics and sounding (at times)a little like Tracey Chapman, Netsayi succeeds in producing something that sounds fresh and original, and, since there's not a lot of originality around at the moment, that is definitely a Good Thing.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:MP3 Download
Saw Netsayi at Norwich Theatre Royal this week. Absolutely beautiful voice and melodious thought-provoking lyrics, especially Money drum. This album seems very representative of her work - just enjoy - and look out for her coming near you with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
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