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Reviews
When God was handing out talent, Raul Midon must have found himself one of the first in line. This honey-voiced, virtuoso guitarist and accomplished songwriter (who also does a mean impression of the muted-trumpet) is now three albums deep and his star shows no sign of waning.
The Afro-Argentinian singer-songwriter first made major ripples on the scene with his debut album
State of Mind (with a guest appearance from
Stevie Wonder on harmonica) back in 2006. Its release was accompanied by a strategic and well-received performance on the Late Show with David Letterman and various tour dates including a London gig supported by, the then unknown,
Adele.
State of Mind was almost completely an acoustic affair.
The 2007 follow-up
World Within A World however drew ire from certain quarters as Midon departed from the unplugged feel of his debut, opting for a fuller, more obviously programmed sound. The detractors need not have worried; the most important element-the songs - were still quality.
Midon has the knack of penning melodies so simple and effective; you wonder why no one else has thought of them before. Neither is he one for over-production and cluttered soundscapes, keeping his arrangements sufficiently spacious. In addition Raul’s live sets are usually stripped down to just the man and his six-string, proving he doesn’t need any gimmicks when the raw gift is on show.
Raul returns this year with
Synthesis, possibly his most instantly appealing record yet.
A delightfully diverse not to mention hot and sweaty crowd packed out London’s Scala venue last Wednesday in anticipation of seeing future African folk/soul legend, Nneka Egbuna light up the stage. As her superb band teased the waiting masses with a low rumbling groove, the crisp voice of the petite and perfectly formed Nigerian songstress came through crystal clear on the mic to rapturous applause.
Still managing to look divine without a lick of make-up and her hair in a scruffy pony-tail, awe-struck members of the audience could be heard commenting on her arresting natural beauty. Nneka could easily go the way of many of her contemporaries and exploit her good looks to push record sales and the fact she does not, speaks volumes about her musical integrity and sense of priority; a bona fide feminist icon if ever there was one. Miss Egbuna is an artist that plays by her own rules and her very vocals embody this renegade philosophy.
For many UK emcees, making the jump from the subterranean Grime scene to the glitzy mainstream is always done with much hesitance. But for North London’s Chipmunk, the cautious leap was replaced with a confident stroll. Embracing a daytime radio format of music led to a number one single, a debut album, a MOBO Award and many live performances for Mr Munk. Returning to the mixtape circuit which bore his early success, For The Fun of It aims to solidify his success story and reduce the forum critics who refuse to be convinced of Chipmunk’s superstar status.