On his fourth full length album (the first for DFA Records) Ahmed Gallab shows that he's finally ready for the big time. With his confidence having been boosted by a starring roles in Luaka Bop's 'Atomic Bomb: Who is William Onyeabor?' live project, he's created a classy and stylish album that's full of brilliant touches. Effortlessly switching genres, from Afrobeat to funk to soul and back again, his voice is smoother than a silk negligee sliding down Kate Moss's freshly shaven legs.
With tracks harking back to the 70s and the 60s, this is still a thoroughly contemporary record that could only exist in the melting pot of today's cultures. Take 'Galley Boys' for example.It's got African rhythms, a reggae bassline, tons of pedal steel and a chorus melody similar too Primal Scream's 'Star'' Topped off with Ahmed's brilliant voice it all sounds so easy, but you know that sounding so laid-back is a hard thing to achieve.
It's the kind of record that you can play at any time of day or night, whatever mood you're in, and emerge feeling like a better person. Basically if you're at all fed up it'll put a smile on your face, and you could as easily dance to it as make love to it (or maybe even do one followed by the other?).
I reckon this album cements him as a major talent who'll not only continue to make his own great records but can have his pick of whichever artists he wants to work with in the future.
Currently on a whistle-stop tour to promote the album, Sinkane are back in the UK later in the year for some more dates, including one at Oslo in Hackney on December 1st which promises to banish the winter blues. I'll see you there!
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