Published 2015-10-21 09:59
Seinabo Sey has a voice that can – almost – the setting at any time.
Rather than placing his classic soul voice in a retro production aiming Seinabo Seys debut album on heavy and modern sound – more honorable than a success.
Rather than placing his classic soul voice in a retro production aiming Seinabo Seys debut album on heavy and modern sound – more honorable than a success.
Seinabo Sey is the artist who became stamp before she even released a debut album. It probably says something about the times we live in, how quickly a career can take off and that in Spotify’s age no longer need an album to be counted among the greats. Even more gossip, however, about the impact of the twenty-five year old singer had. It is no more than the nearly two years since she released the debut single and she has pytsat a handful of songs in two thematically cohesive ep. Still feels she is already very established, as an artist who is well into his career.
I think it depends on security. “Pretend” is imbued with a determination, the courage and self-confidence, a clear mind that is rarely found on the debut album. From the minimalistic expressive cover of bright red and black and white to the compressed song titles (all composed entirely of straight and clear word except the single “Hard Time”) and a rock-solid footing of how it should sound. Sey and låtskrivarmedhjälpare as Vincent Pontare and Salem Al Fakir also formulates texts which are not unnecessarily scrolls around the target.
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Then we have the voice. Seinabo Sey sings with a voice that really should not exist anymore. The combination of brute force and elegance, reminiscent of the 60s and 70s, that can handle almost any setting whatsoever. Almost.
The easiest route had so clearly been to frame it in a safe organic retro sound and further emphasized the comparisons with Aretha, Nina Simone and Mavis Staples. Or Duffy and Sharon Jones & amp; The Dap-Kings and other neoretro-soul artists for that matter.
Seinabo Sey place is instead in the middle of the present, with a hard-driven, heavy and modern sound. The deepest and oldest roots in the music goes to Massive Attack “Unfinished Sympathy”, which in itself is OF THE SAME AGE with Seinabo Sey myself, but surely still allowed to stand for any sort of modernity. At least in comparison with the alternatives.
And many more and fresher roots are based on completely different, newer sources. This is soul music to work in a couple of mobile headphones in the subway during rush hour, with a density that it can shut out everything else.
To choose this, if not difficult, then at least uncertain road is In many ways sympathetic and honorable. Yet I do not think the radar partner Magnus Lidehälls beefy and blaffiga production always takes the best out of Sey. The combination of vocal power and the bombastic doing some songs for Belgian Blue-soulpop – so muscular, pumped up to the graceful and agile lost. Immediate dramatic “Sorry” sounds like a pitch to get make the next James Bond theme song. The singles “Younger” and “Hard Time” is so compact it and there is no area for them to swing at.
And yet that voice. When Seinabo Sey peels down and give himself space to unleash their greatest asset is “Pretend” directly magical. As when she sings so hot over the clattering percussion rain in “Words” that it will be too tepid summer. Or in the dimmed twisted ballad “You”. Or perhaps especially – in the final tribute to the deceased father Maudo Sey (successful singer in The Gambia and ten years ago, is also an actor in Lars von Trier’s “Manderlay”) in the “Burial”.
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It is contemporary gospel music at its best.
Top track: “Burial”
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