Lolla #25: Nneka
Sounds like: an after-school special about, you know, multiculturalism and peace and stuff. [+/- 0; I’m all for multiculturalism and peace, but indifferent to their expression in music]
You can listen to them at: http://www.myspace.com/nnekaworld
Sample Lyric: “you throw stones / can’t you see that i am human / i am breathing / but you don’t give a damn”
Rather than see this band I will: Listen to M.I.A., whom Nneka isn’t trying to sound anything like but can’t help being compared to, especially by people like me who don’t know a lot of “world music.” I can imagine liking this, but I find Nneka’s voice thin and limited. The beats are simple and clear, which I like, but to carry that you need some pipes; a “decisive political or spiritual message,” which is the sort of thing people say about this, will not help you sound better. It’s unfortunate, but I’ve probably let my take on this artist be influenced by one of the blurbs at the top of her myspace page: “‘her music is a gift to the world’ – Perez Hilton.” To receive that praise is one thing; to choose to highlight it is another.
