I heard a song by the Texas Sheiks on XM the other day, and it featured a singer named Ndidi Onukwulu. (Thank goodness the XM player showed the name so I would know how to spell it.) Impressive, bluesy voice from this woman. So I looked her up on iTunes. She has two CD's out, and I have so far purchased her first one, from 2006. I also watched a concert video on her web site.
Ndidi seems to be a 20-something Canadian of Nigerian and German descent. The overall impression I get from her voice and songs is kind of urban without being hip-hop, sassy, bluesy. A very strong and sophisticated voice, with an occasional Canadian accent. Not having liner notes to go by, my impression is that she wrote the songs but does not play any of the instruments. Her music covers a lot of genres: blues, a capella Gospel, and a creepy lullaby. And her voice reminds me of several different artists. Lots of her songs have lyrics about getting away from pain. This CD is captivating - I keep going back to it because the music and her voice are so interesting.
Horn Blower is a funky, rock-y song about a musician. She's pretty loose with the melody, with a kind of reggae pronunciation.
Water is a straight-ahead blues number with a nice, deep groove and fuzzy rhythm guitar.
Then it gets heavier with Wicked Lady, with some vicious lyrics with a kind of Creole slant. In this one, her voice reminds me very much of Alison Kraus on some of the songs from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? The accompaniment is reminiscent of some of the guitar work on Natalie Merchant's Tiger Lily.
Hey There has some cool wah-wah guitar and a driving bass beat. I like how she mixes up the arrangements to feature different instruments on different songs. But the music and her accent get in the way, so I can't quite tell what this song is about.
Hush is a creepy lullaby with a simple accompaniment. One hopes that she would only sing it to a child who has already fallen asleep, since it's full of references to bombs and poverty and danger at school.
Weight is funky, the beat reminds me of Bill Withers' "Use Me", but the music sounds a lot like Cream with a competition between bass, cymbals, and guitar. Not sure what it's about... references to thin walls, a being given a gun, survival, carrying the weight on one's shoulders... maybe about PTSD?
May be the Last Time, I Don't Know is one of my favorites on this album. It's a simple nearly a capella Gospel song with plug-in lines, a great beat, and some vocal backing. May be the last time we walk together, sing together, bow together. She really gets to show off her voice control on this one.
Seen You Before is a catchy tune about being smitten and shy.
Old Heart is another song that lets Ndidi show off her smooth, expressive voice. The plaintive parts remind me very much of Sinead O'Connor.
Home is another "old music" kind of song that could have been in Brother, Where Art Thou? A capella, and very much like Joni Mitchell (except perfectly on pitch).
Long Way Home is my least favorite... kind of shapeless, with just a single strummed guitar with all down-strokes. Eh.
All in all, a very interesting and impressive album.
