REVIEW: Soul:ID - Love, Sex & Philosophy

'Love, Sex & Philosophy'

Housing four members: Tchaї, Dad’D, V, Urban Deep, and four cultures: Belgium, Congolese, Burundi and Rwandan, the multicultural fusion kicks off with a concoction of Swahili and French for the intro. Their exploration of life through music, using their own sound they have dubbed “Afropean soul”, experiments with slick drumming, synthesizers and deft harmonies. Though stamped with the Afropean label, do not be surprised to hear Soul:ID dip their metaphorical toes into Babyface crooning and Jill-esque vocals, polished off with a drop of Dwele smoothness. Standout tracks include “True” ,a Spandau Ballet cover deliciously coated in soul goodness, “Is This Luv?” and “How Come”, an edgier Neptune-inspired track that tackles the issue of racism. Though not a truly unforgettable album, “Sex, Love & Philosophy” is pleasant enough to add to any soul collection.


© Rachelle Hull, 2008
Published at: www.catchavibe.co.uk

Interview: LAURA IZIBOR

Laura Izibor enters the studio, dressed head to toe in black: jacket, jeans and boots. Her curly hair is full of life and makeup flawless; her smoky eye shadow completing the look. Gone is the fresh-faced, girl-next-door I had come to know from her MySpace pictures. In her place? A soul chick that rocks. As we talk her Irish lilt is occasionally inflected with a soft American twang (a consequence of spending ample time in the US with her record label Atlantic) and the laidback Irish charm is apparent. Featured in our Rising Star Spotlight late last year Laura Izibor needs no further introductions.

Despite the delay of her debut album, Let The Truth Be Told, Laura has been busy. Though you may not be completely familiar with the name yet, the music will certainly sound familiar. Her track From My Heart To Your's appeared in an episode of the medical drama Grey's Anatomy and Carousel was specifically written as the theme song for the film Nanny Diaries (2007). Whilst her gospel-influenced Mmm featured in not one, but two films: Why Did I Get Married? (2007) and Step Up 2: The Streets (2008), respectively.

Right about now the Irish soulstress is feeling 'Really damn good!' and with good reason. Not only has the film world been paying attention, but with the recent votes from Rolling Stone and Vibe Magazine as Artist to Watch 2008 it seems the rest of the world is too, 'It's taken a really long time to get this record finished; so to get this kind of love, it's crazy,' she tells me.

Considering the buzz around her music, the 21-year old's feet remain firmly on the ground and she reveals the perfect remedy for coping with the expectation prior to her debut release, 'I don't have any expectations for myself; that's the way I try and live my life. I'm just really enjoying singing and playing, just doing what I do.'

Unlike other young female acts who have come and gone before, Ms. Izibor will never be branded a 'studio chick' but a seasoned performer instead. What you get on the record is what you get in person; so when the lady performs live, she performs. Having opened for Angie Stone, the late James Brown, Al Green, The Roots and Jamie Cullum is there need for any more proof? 'Performing live is what you work for - it's the adrenaline, it's the buzz', though this does not mean her love of studio time is any less deep, 'at the same time the creative process is a lot more personal - it's an inward achievement. I couldn't live without the both of them.'

In tune with Izibor's laidback personality is her method of writing; imagining her with a pen and a pad, would be inaccurate, 'I don't write my lyrics down, I just usually record myself on a Dictaphone or whatever I have and just play, mumble, sing and vibe. When I listen back I'm like, 'Oh I see what I was trying to do there' and put a little bit of structure in, a little bit of edge and the song usually just writes itself. Sounds cliche, but it is just a natural process and that's the way I try to keep it.' When asked if there is a special someone to inspire her, she laughs and says, 'Not at the moment. I'm so busy I don't even get time to see my family.'

Now a little older, wiser and more experienced Laura is pleased that she took the time to work on her talent before putting herself out there, 'It took me a very long time and there was a lot of frustration, but it taught me an awful lot. I would still say to someone wanting to get into the industry to work on your skill, get a good demo and send it to record labels and song writing competitions. It's important to take every opportunity that you see; you really have to have no insecurities and just believe in yourself.’

With a 2009 release of Let The Truth Be Told, her debut album of home-cooked soul with an edge, Ms. Izibor is more than prepared. 'I'm most excited about walking into a store and seeing the record on the shelf and just being able to buy it myself. Let The Truth Be Told is an album that I'm proud of and that I believe in. I've been very lucky to write my album 100% so there's nobody else's words there or visions. The album is completely my truths and my experiences.'

© Rachelle Hull, 2008

Published at www.originsmag.com

REVIEW: Adi-diction

Event: Adi-diction
Venue: Bernie Grant Arts Centre
Actors: Artcha James and Katie P

April 23rd 2008:

With an abrupt entrance, Artcha James and Katie P filled the small stage at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre. I was seated perfectly to watch both performers, as they stood in their positions: Katie lay sprawled on the floor, juxtaposed with Artcha's upright and rigid form. They maintained this for a little longer than necessary and with the promise of 'movement' in the advertising campaign, for a moment I thought I was watching the wrong play.

Adi-diction is about a young man by the name of Joe, who is addicted to trainers (hence the play on the word Adidas and Addiction to form the title). The 'story' does not unfold with your typical beginning, middle and end. Instead, it reveals itself in a sequence of soliloquies and confessions to the audience, often accompanied by music. Starting with Artcha, Joe's struggle is evident as he attempts to theorise the problem. Meanwhile Katie skips the bull and breaks it down, educating us on the variation of brands and styles: Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Airforce 1, Classic, Airmax, Superstar, Finster, Shox, Campus. Not being a connoisseur of trainers, I was lost among the lengthy list; but was quickly brought back into the fold, when the words 'honeydew', 'French lavender' and 'sweet cotton' escaped her lips - transporting me into her candy coloured world of laces and leather.

Whilst Artcha's role is evident from the get-go, Katie's takes a while to come to light. At one point she curled into the foetal position around Artcha's feet and as he stood, feet cocooned and lost in her embrace, I mistook her for a metaphor. Further on I realised Katie was not there to symbolise the trainer, both Artcha and Katie are Joe, just different sides of the same person. This is classic Freud: the ego and the id, the reality principle and the pleasure principle. Katie revels in the addiction, Artcha philosophizes it. A clever twist occurs when towards the end of the play you see Artcha change into the id, as Katie becomes the ego.

The clarity of roles makes for a more interesting play as it allows you to place yourself in the situation, substituting the trainer for your own vice. The ability to become so caught up in something, or someone, comes so easily to many of us that we are often unaware it is happening.

Although both performers were comfortable in front of their audience I was somewhat distracted by the often awkward mirroring of each other's movements across the stage. I understand the purpose, to convey the confusion and miasma, but at times it looked as if they were moving to justify the use of the word in the play's promotion. Despite this their confidence is evident in their delivery, Artcha floats easily between conversational speech and rap and back again; whilst Katie's palette of emotion, from calm to humorous to rage, emphasises the psychosis of Joe's predicament.

Though not flawless, Adi-diction is an interesting exploration of how a passion for even the most innocent of trappings can spiral out of control.

© Rachelle Hull 2008

REVIEW: Breakin' the Ice

EVENT: Breaking The Ice Karaoke – Valentine’s Special
VENUE: Favela Chic
TIME: 6pm till late

February 2008:

Much noise had been made about this event. The Voice Newspaper demanded it was “definitely a date for your diary’’ so my girls and I decided to check it out.

The venue was a cauldron of South American tapas bar and French fairytale; with hula hoops and umbrellas dangling from the high ceilings. Although the seating arrangement was sparse, the bric a brac décor worked well, lending Favela Chic a certain charm.

Plied with glasses of red wine, my girls and I were feeling ultra confident, and so we trawled through the book of songs, whilst thinking of a catchy group name. Eventually deciding on Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”, we dubbed ourselves “Don’t Get Out Much” and waited for our five minutes of in-house fame.

Our hosts Annika and Natalie kick started the karaoke; the ladies were a great sport as they gave those of us with cat screams for voices a sense of hope. The concept of the event is not to see who has the best voice, but who provides a more entertaining performance. So it was great to see the novice and the intermediate battle it out to become karaoke King or Queen of the night. With renditions of Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road”, Alicia Keys’ “No One” and the Pussycat Dolls’ “Dontcha” it was going to be a tough call.

In between performances the resident DJs spun tunes that kept the large and fairly mixed crowd bumping, grinding and staying on till late; in spite of it being a mid-week event. The vibe was one I had not felt or seen in a long time: plenty of merry faces amongst a crowd who were obviously charged and out to have a fantastic night. During one of the intermissions a free raffle took place - courtesy of it being a Valentine’s special. Although I bribed three tickets from the ticket man, with my winsome smile and an offer of Lindt chocolates, I still managed to come home empty-handed.

Towards the end of the night, “Don’t Get Out Much” were finally called on to perform. Although our threesome had now become a duet (I had sobered up and chickened out), my girls put on an excellent performance. Engaging the crowd with their tuneless crooning, uncoordinated adlibbing and body popping it was only fair they were crowned Queens of the karaoke. Winning a specially branded ‘Breaking The Ice’ bottle of Champagne – of which I was not allowed to partake.

My only gripe for the night was no set finishing time, so it appeared to drag on for that little bit too long. But if you did not come or you came and did not let go, let flow then you missed out. Big time!

© Rachelle Hull 2008