Nino Katamadze and Insight - Black

by Malcolm Carter

published: 26 / 6 / 2010

Label: Megaphone
Format: CD

Extraordinary fourth album from Georgian-born singer Nino Katamadadze who singing in her own native language has produced a record that is both moving and rewarding

Review

Born in Georgia (the country not the State) ‘Black’ is not the latest album that this extraordinary singer has released but it is the one that, it would appear, has been chosen to promote her recent concerts in the U.K. Nino’s upcoming album, ‘Red’ is due for release this coming September; ‘Black’ is the fourth release in her catalogue with Insight, it was preceded by ‘Ordinary Day’, ‘…and Insight’ and ‘White’ from 2003, 2004 and 2006 respectively while her last album was issued in 2008 and was not surprisingly titled ‘Blue’. The music that Nino and Insight make is thankfully and not unsurprisingly not easy to put into any one category. For the most part Nino sings in her native Georgian so for the majority of us her words will mean very little. It’s a mark of just how expressive her vocals are that it doesn’t matter that we can’t understand exactly what Nino is singing about as it’s all in the sound of her voice rather than what the actual words mean. And what a voice this girl has. There is a distinct jazzy feel to Nino’s vocals and one gets the impression which is no doubt due to the fact that we are unable to understand the words she is singing, that Nino improvises a lot as the songs unfold. There’s certainly a lot of emotion expressed in each and every song and on songs such as ‘Once in the Street’ (don’t be misguided by the English title, the song is sung in Georgian) which is basically just Nino’s powerful vocals and acoustic guitar by band member Gocha Kacheishvili with a little percussion by David Abuladze the result is stunning in any language. For such a stripped-down musical backing the song sounds full and this is in no small part to the emotional vocal performance by Nino. Proof that understanding the language is not vital to enjoy and appreciate songs when the vocalist is as expressive as Nino Katamadze is. There’s some beautiful music on ‘Black’. ‘Violets’ is another mainly acoustic track where the power of Nino’s vocals really shines and the playing of the band is exceptional. A strange thing happens when I listen to music made in other lands, especially those like Georgia. The sound of the guitars for example again especially on songs like ‘Violets’ is different to our home-grown sounds. There seems to be more feeling, like the musicians are playing with more emotion, that they are injecting more of their personality, more of their souls into their playing than we are used to hearing. Maybe it’s down to the way they produce in other countries or maybe they do just try that little bit harder. ‘Black’ is a fine example of how the basic line-up of guitar, bass and drums is really all you need when you have such an expressive vocalist as Nino Katamadze. Often referred to as the ‘Georgian Janis Joplin’ which really doesn’t do her justice as although on songs such as ‘Beauty’ Nino shows her rock side and for once leaves behind all traces of her jazz leanings she is a much more versatile singer than Joplin ever was. Nino really is one of those rare singers who is impossible to categorise. ‘Black’ really is an exceptionable album and one that demands repeated listens. Don’t let the fact that you won’t understand the lyrics put you off from lending an ear to this remarkable talent, it really is a most rewarding album.