published: 17 /
1 /
2018
Label:
Mascot Label
Format: CD
Fantastic album from super group Project Mama Earth, which featuring Joss Stone, Nitin Sawhney, Jonathan Joseph, Etienne M’Bappe and keyboardist Jonathan Shorten, is an exploration of African rhythms and themes
Review
The new and exciting eleven-track CD, ‘Project Mama Earth’ features soulful vocalist Joss Stone, guitarist Nitin Sawhney, drummer Jonathan Joseph, bass/guitarist Etienne M’Bappe and keyboardist Jonathan Shorten. The collection was inspired by “the dynamic rhythms of Africa” and the multi-instrumental players, who hail from all corners of the world, each bring their unique flavours to the mix.
M’Bappe is from Cameroon and has been heavily influenced by John McLaughlin and Robben Ford; Shorten has been a long-term Stone producer; Sawhney has performed with the likes of the London Symphony Orchestra, as well as with Paul McCartney and Sting.
Stone, inspired by nature, as the project suggests, penned lyrics “in the grass by the river.” Sawhney, echoing the organic approach, agreed, “It was all about being open to the moment.”
There’s a lusty mix of instruments on this project: bursts of horn, soundbites that excite like goose bumps, harmonies that glide like liquid honey and incredible, unanticipated shifts of tempo. Stone’s vocals are quintessential velvet one moment and then deliriously acerbic, when the pulse demands it.
The five ‘Interludes’ rely on intoxicating non-Western textures, including delicate sounds of nature. ‘Waterfall’ finds Stone, vocally explosive, and at her fierce and blusiest best. ‘Spring’ swaggers, as Stone fields energy from the floating brass. ‘What Would She Say’ enjoys layer upon layer of melodic and rhythmic richness. ‘Entanglement’ induces a butterflies-in-the stomach, kinetic energy. ‘Breathe’ is the soulful, hypnotizing closer, where Stone’s vocals take on an air of classicism, but this is a project in which everyone stars.
Track Listing:-
1
Mama Earth
2
Interlude 1
3
Waterfall
4
Interlude 2
5
Spring
6
Interlude 3
7
What Would She Say?
8
Interlude 4
9
Entanglement
10
Interlude 5
11
Breathe
Band Links:-
http://www.jossstone.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jossstone
Label Links:-
http://www.mascotlabelgroup.com/
https://www.facebook.com/mascotlabelgr
https://twitter.com/MLG_Rocks
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDim5
https://instagram.com/mascotlabelgroup