Album Review: ‘Sing (If You Want It)’ Omar
Sing (If You Want It) is the sixth release from the British soul icon, Omar. This eagerly awaited re-issue definitely puts Omar back in the spotlight and will become an essential album for any music collection. Omar is often referred to as the founding father of nu-classic soul and has been acclaimed by artists such as Erykah Badu and MOBO Award winner Kele Le Roc. Omar can also count Stevie Wonder as a fan, who most famously said, "When I grow up, I wanna be Omar". On this album, Omar collaborates with Stevie Wonder and a host of great artists including Estelle, Common, Zed Bias, and many more. The album also comes with two brand new bonus tracks, including the single 'Dancing' and 'It's So'.
As a whole, this album is jam packed with soulful tunes, with each song showing off Omar's silky vocals. The first track on the album, 'Lift Off' - as the title suggests - immediately takes the listener on a journey, where you are transported into Omar's galaxy of musical gems. Omar sets the standard of the album with this track, and when the beat drops you cannot help but nod your head to it. Similarly, on 'Sing', the strong beat continues, making an excellent contrast with Omar's vocals which sound effortlessly smooth, but yet, altogether powerful.
The following track is the first of four songs on the album where Omar collaborates with a woman. 'Be A Man' features JC Bentley, who provides a perfect voice for the narrative of the song. The connection between herself and Omar helps to make the lyrics more meaningful and believable, by demonstrating the angst and pain of breaking up in a relationship. Musically, the subject matter is extended even further with an impressive saxophone section, which brings a sombre feel and a touch of blues to the record.
Further female collaborations come from Estelle on 'Lay It Down' - which carries a strong and poignant message concerning the death of family and friends. Estelle delivers an excellent verse on the track which should remind the listener of her earlier days as a rapper. The last of the female contributors is Angie Stone, who features twice on the album in, 'All For Me' and 'Stlyin'.
Ultimately, one of the most exciting features on the album comes from legendry singer, Stevie Wonder. Upon hearing Omar's first hit, 'There's Nothing Like This' in 1992, Stevie Wonder declared himself a fan and vowed to work with him. 'Feeling You' shows Stevie keeping his promise, with a song which simply raises this album to another level of sensational soul and R&B music. The song opens with a mellow beat and has a very strong summer time vibe to it. Just when the track could not get any better, in comes Stevie - the legendry smooth soul singer - and together with Omar, he firmly sets this song as a classic on the album.
Undoubtedly, one of the most interesting things about Omar is his ability to work with a number of different artists and still maintain his unique neo-soul sound. On 'Gimme Sum' for example, he maintains a soulful sound whilst the verses are given by US rapper Common, UK MC Rodney P, Ashman and Canitbe. The raps are a pleasant addition to the album and add a slight hip-hop flavour to the record, especially with lines from Common like, "If you gonna gimme sum, you gotta give it strong, Like Marvin I've been adorn to get it on"
As a personal favourite, 'Ghana Emotion' would have to be another standout track on the album. On this song Omar reminisces about a recent trip to Ghana, where both his parents have chosen to spend their retirement. In his love for the Motherland, he comment's on Africa's "beautiful weather" and recalls memories of strolling on the beach and eating Ghanaian cuisine like "kenke, hot pepper sauce and some fresh fish" The lyrics are truly authentic and demonstrate an affection for Africa and it’s many positive attributes.
Overall, Omar has produced an album which has brought him into another phase of his career. The sheer quality of the record, underpinned by the world's finest collaborations, definitely brings him back into the limelight. The Newsy Blog gives this album a very impressive 4 out of 5!
Album Review: ‘4’ Beyoncé
Yesterday, I was invited to an exclusive first full listen of Beyoncé's fourth studio album 4. The glamorous event was attended by the cream of London's music journalists, all eager to hear Beyoncé's new album. It was bold, crisp and full of flavour - and that was just what the free champagne tasted like. The album however, similarly to the champagne, was a high quality product, rich in style and simply fizzing with musical genius.
The album kicks off with the powerful ballad '1+1' which clearly shows off Beyoncé's brilliant vocals. The song is passionate and accurately sets the standard for the rest of the album. The strong beat, coupled with the 'massive' feel that is embodied in the track tells the listener that this album is going to be a bold and brave attempt at bringing something original to the music scene. The lyrics also reflect a sophistication that is rare to find with many artists. The song ends with an incredible guitar solo which encapsulates, perfectly, the passion and emotion of the song. The rock element continues in the following track 'I Care' which starts with a violent thumping beat and ends with an increasingly impacting guitar solo.
Ultimately, one of the best tracks on the album is 'Party'. The track has Beyoncé's one and only featured artist, Andre 3000. The pairing of the two works extremely well and brings a Hip-Hop flavour to the album. It has a funky summertime vibe, which is also found on 'Love on Top'. Kanye West features briefly at the start on 'Party' but takes a back seat on this because he also produced the record. The track uses a sample from the 1985 classic 'La Di Da Di' by Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D (a.k.a Slick Rick).
Beyoncé has used a variety of samples on her album, possibly all part of her quest to create her 'mixed musical gumbo'. On 'Countdown' she includes a sample of Boyz II Men's 'Uh Ahh' on the chorus. To be honest, it is very difficult to 'get' this song, particularly the chorus. Maybe it is too ahead of its time. Nonetheless, it is still a great tune, filled with marching drum beats and majestic trumpets.
The samples continue on 'Run The World (Girls)' which uses Major Lazer's track 'Pon De Floor'; an interesting sound that definitely takes Beyoncé in a different musical direction. Where exactly she is going with this is difficult to say. 'Run The World (Girls)' sounds very unique, unusual but yet totally innovative. On paper this song should not work, but Beyoncé makes it happen. The beat is immensely authoritative and reflects the song's theme of female empowerment. The military theme continues on the song 'End of Time' which has the same marching drum beat from 'Run The World (Girls)'. The similarity between both songs continues, as they share an abrupt ending, as if the songs have been randomly cut off. Clearly this was an intentional decision which works well on both tracks, however it does leave the listener slightly on edge.
The album does have some slow songs with milder beats, for example 'I Miss You', 'Best Thing I Never Had', 'Rather Die Young' and 'I Was There'. However, each song still manages to achieve that military sound from the more upbeat tracks through an undercurrent of the marching drum beat. 'Rather Die Young' is a powerful love song where Beyoncé sings, 'I'd rather die young than live my life without you'. A personal favourite from the lyrics is, 'You're my James Dean, you make me feel seventeen'.
Overall, 4 is an incredible album. The use of the strong military sound throughout the album ties in well with themes such as female empowerment, passion and love. In addition, the lack of features on the album shows Beyoncé's determination to produce a body of work that represents herself as a serious and independent artist. The album can only be described best by Beyoncé herself, who said “I'm mixing every type of genre that I love, and I'm inspired by every type of genre...I'm not in a box. It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music."
4 quite suitably, gets '4' out of 5.
Album Review: ‘The Remedy’ Jimmy Screech
Coming through the ranks of the edgy, vibrant inner London reggae scene is Jimmy Screech. The Remedy is filled with songs that are real, earthy and extremely urban. Screech's voice exudes confidence and coolness, which is embedded into an album which is simply bursting with raw, street energy. The album is produced - in part - by rising star Benji Boko which explains a different instrumental feel on the track 'Telling Them Lies’; however the majority is produced by J.Bradshaw.
These are the stand out tracks on the album,
'Jamaica' shows Screech looking back nostalgically at life in Jamaica, while he compares it to his street urban life in London. It's definitely a reggae tune with an undercurrent of London grime music, which reflects rather interestingly the subject matter concerned.
'Brazil Bounce' is without question one of the best tracks on the album. As the title for the song suggests, this is a song for 'bumpin' n' grindin'. The sound is unique and stands out from the majority of bashment tunes which are out at the moment. Screech's brilliant rapping ability is highlighted the most in this song, and anyone who can rhyme an eye disease like 'cataract' with 'Yasser Afarfat', certainly deserves credit!
'Wood 4 The Trees' can be described in three words: laid back Reggae. In addition, this track boasts a very impressive horn section, delivered by Liam Foxx and Paru.
'Dollyanna' sounds very much like a mid-nineties Hip-Hop throw back (a good thing indeed), and should remind the listener of Jay-Z's early days, which is not surprising as Screech cites Jay-Z and Public Enemy as influential artists on his career.
'Dirty Bastard' is the obligatory Hip-Hop tune on this album. It's totally in keeping with what many rappers talk about; getting girls, getting more girls and - you guessed it - getting even more girls.
The last track on the album, 'Something's Missing', has a very Ne-Yo feel to it, possibly because of the bass/clap beat used throughout song. Screech takes a different approach on this song; the style is more Rn'B and the lyrics express a more sentimental side to him.
On the whole, The Remedy presents a collection of diverse songs, each reflecting the panoramic vision which Screech is aiming to show with his music; there's a bit of bashment on the record, some classic reggae influences, Hip-Hop, and Rn'B. It’s for that reason, why The Remedy is certainly a cure for anyone seeking to indulge in an array of urban musical genres.
The Newsy Blog gives Screech a very respectable, 3/5
