Nneka – Shining Star (Joe Goddard Remix) 0
It’s almost impossible to put together coherent sentences when a song makes you fall into a sound coma that you don’t really want to come out of.
It was only a few seconds into the Joe Goddard remix of “Shining Star” when I involuntarily blurted out a loud, “OH MY GODDARD!”.
Now, what about Nneka? Ignoring the vocals on the track is like finding a diamond on the sidewalk and hopping right over it.
I’m not afraid to say that for the past few years, most soul singers have sounded like soulless singers. This is the first time in ages that I’ve heard raw emotion in a real voice coming from a no glitz, no glamour, just straight up soul artist. Afro-German singer, Nneka, sounds like she’s the vocal ambassador to some musical greats who are either no longer with us and therefore have no voice or who are still around but lost themselves along the way.
As I was going through her songs, “Shining Star”, “My Home”, “Soul is Heavy”, “Beautiful”, and “Stand Strong”, influences of Marley, Lauryn Hill, India Arie, Jill Scott, touches of Erykah Badu, Floetry and even Les Nubians were all very apparent. It’s hard to ignore similarities between fresh new musicians and influencial ones from the past when the messages are somewhat similar and the hearts are just as heavy.
Nneka’s on a journey to put the soul back into SOUL music, the funk back into FUNK music, and the realness into ALL music.
Shining Star (Original Version)
Nneka’s Soul is Heavy LP will be out March 19th on Decon.
