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Tag: SINGLE

A_F_R_O_W_Review: “Free” by Luke Goss

F.R.E.E.
Four letters, which, in a 4.5 minute musical voyage, manage, to montage an expansive journey, of a Man, seemingly, seeking, to relinquish wordly machinations, take up the Vocational Cross of his Life-Calling, place it upon his back, and carry it, through the Creative Context, much, as he does, his guitar, through a barren desert.

Organic and open-hearted, the debut solo song, “Free”, by Luke Goss, is the auditory definition, of the “Joshua Tree” location, in which the accompanying visual treatment (also, his Directorial debut, in this area of Film-making), is shot.

The track, is breathable, with a refined, fresh-air, quality, and blueprint of elegant, sonic simplicity, capable, not only, of cleansing the listener’s aural atmosphere, but also, the, often, over-saturated Music Industry, itself.

For Production, to be so, finely-layered, as to cast a fine-tuned veil of effortless delicacy and holistic naivete, to proceedings, in actuality, requires pinpoint precision, an eloquence of Electronica and, a profound expertise, in, and appreciation, for, compositional moderation… and, “Free”, certainly, has that, in abundance.

Intricately-infused, nods, to Spanish guitar, pleasingly, pierce the ambiance of heady and heavy-California vibes, whilst, a prevalent, percussive heartbeat and dub-laden bassline, have-the-backs of 80’s inflections, reminiscent of “Depeche Mode”, Moogs and synths, “Tears For Fears” intensity, “Sting” Roots-and-Rock, with an, added, contemplative twist, of 90’s, “Massive Attack”.

Yet, for all of the genre-blending, brushstrokes, it is always clear, that the Leading Man, is Luke Goss, now, a.k.a “Luke”. His sultry, unhurried, gravel-toned vocals (sure, to become his enduring trademark), are as, inherently, spiritual and introspective, as they are, welcoming and inclusive. Complemented, by the understated urgency of his distinctive delivery, “Free”, metamorphosises into a “Sonic Statement Of Intent”, followed through, by the panoramic sweep, of, such, an impressive, visual environment.

There is the sense, that Goss is bringing us, full-circle, from the “Desert Conversation”, he started here, in his, highly-acclaimed, publication, soon, to be released, as an audiobook experience. The stirring motifs, on view, are indicative, of this Man, who has confronted and overcome his fears, and, is now, bilingual, in “Pragmatic Optimism” and “Realistic Hope”. The conclusion, being a Musical Manifesto and a, telling, testament, to his personal road, thus far.

Zoom-in, further, to discover that, as well as his debut single being an, entire, mood, Luke Goss, is a “Pioneer for Peace”… and, a spiritual movement, waiting, to manifest, within the Arts.

He knows, that Time, is precious and advises, therefore, that we “tell the ones [we] love, that [we] love them”… and, whilst the road, in the video clip, is open, leading, into an unknown, undiscovered, vanishing point, there is no doubt, that Goss is cognicent of exactly, the direction, in which he is headed… that the trajectory, is perpendicular, the momentum, ever, forward… and, that, he is not looking back.

For fans, both, established and new, the final flourish, of a, “To Be Continued” frame, is the confident signal to more, impressive projects, on that, very, same, horizon, ready, to be fulfilled.. and, what, a visionary, resonant and, Life-affirming, future, that promises to be.

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©A_F_R_O_W2020.

All Rights Reserved.

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Both, the single, “FREE” by Luke, and video are now out download/ stream and view.

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Instagram: @thelukegoss

‘KISS MNEK!’*

…No, I’m not suggesting that you run up and plant one on him, but after you hear the sophisticated sounds of the amazing music-maker to whom I am about to introduce you, I think you might just want to give him a huge hug, in gratitude!

So, who’s all the fuss about?!

Well, his name is Uzoechi Osisioma Emenike… ‘MNEK’, for short, and not only is this prolific maestro putting the South London area of Catford on the music map (as well as his Twitter profile), but he’s also stamping a serious indentation upon the recording industry!

So, why all the fuss, then?!

It’s all because this teen is making some bold creative statements!

From high-rise, ‘hi-top fade’ hairdo (reminiscent of ‘Kid’, from seminal New York 90’s hip-hop duo, ‘Kid ‘n’ Play’), to the powerfully resurgent, afrocentric raiment and the energetically ‘graff-ic’ Keith Haring-èsque video, MNEK brings a uniquely, on-trend polish, to echoes of a treasured audiovisual era.

However, don’t get too lulled into nostalgia, because comparisons with such monosyllabic-monikered, superstar singer/songwriter/producer/remixers as Pharrell and (by all at Afrow-H.Q) our very own, Omar (living soul legend and MBE, with whom, MNEK bears a striking tonal resemblance), are bang up-to-date! These parallels are, part dedication, to learning his craft, (the seeds of which were sown at a young age), and part, distinctive ability to consolidate this honed knowledge and create poised tracks, firstly for, and then with other artists, amongst them ‘Little Mix’, ‘Duke Dumont’ and ‘Rudimental’ and now, on his own elegant, yet emotionally-charged, debut single ‘I Wrote A Song About You’.

It’s more than a song though…

It is, in fact, A C21st lament, layered in a musical mille-feuille of sublime topline and dulcet harmonies, against a backdrop of subtle chord progressions and percussive interplay, which seep into your soul-conscious, as only a classic hit can.

With MNEK’s burgeoning giftings coming to the fore, anticipation is palpable for a follow-up from this hotly-tipped U.K talent and, with a sell-out perfomance imminent at East London’s ‘Oslo’, (fast becoming the go-to venue for artist/label launches), expect pitch-perfect reviews, to-the-autotune-of ‘rising global star’, to follow!

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MNEK:-

‘WROTE A SONG ABOUT YOU’ (via YouTube/ Vevo) ~ PRE-ORDER ON iTUNES! (GENERAL RELEASE 31/08/2014)

SOUNDCLOUD ~ FACEBOOK ~TWITTER ~ YOUTUBE

OSLO

OMAR: ‘The Man’ (via YouTube)

PHARRELL

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GLOSSARY

*’Kiss m’neck’ = A colloquial term, used in Afro-Caribbean parlance, to emote surprise.

©AFROW2014-2019. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

“MOVE” SATISFIES MY HUNGER!

Afrow-Family, I’m an easily-pleased kinda gal…and so, I write this mini-installment, in the relaxed state, typical of someone who has just had a scrumptious serving of hearty Christmas fayre!

Why? Well, hot-on-the-heels of ‘Fred Astaire’, Mr Hudson has cranked-up his all-singing and, evidently, all-dancing, music-making hit-machine, with new head-nodding, hip-pop track ‘Move’. In stark contrast to the former, which wound its way around the heart-mind with a debonaire downbeat, ‘Move’ sees a ‘ballin’ Ben’, bustin’-out his best one-two-steps, to a bumping bassline in, what is sure to be, an absolute radio-rampaging, dancefloor-filling smash! Being a Hunger collaboration, finesse and easy-elegance is effortlessly aligned, through a stripped-back, black and white aperture, with high-end sports-style and sharp-and-dapper suiting, being ‘Rankin’-file! Oh, and, of course, a chorus of feisty, front-cover-worthy, female dancing sirens, addicted to the singer (think, home-girl homage to Robert Palmer!), who, nonetheless, “know what they want”…! Mr Hudson dutifully obliges, in shooting and scoring a ma-hoo-ssive three-pointer, in true NBA/ Harlem Globetrotter-style! (Check the clip and you’ll see what I mean!)

It all adds up to a win-win combination of Hudson’s quirky and deceptively-intricate production-values, transmuted into mightily memorable-melody lines, relentless, rolling beats-per-minute and a chorus that could hook a killer-whale, plus the undeniable genius of the Rankin/Lawton creative sensibility!

For me, this track totally delivers and, quite frankly, I couldn’t care less whether or not a guy can groove, but I do love to see a man enjoying himself in the attempt! I get the feeling that there’ll be a lot of office-party dancefloors, shaking this Chistmas with “Move”-rs, following suit!

I’ll see you there!

‘MOVE’ IS OUT NOW! BUY IT, LOVE IT, PLAY IT LOUDLY, ON REPEAT! http://t.co/sYbKbwnaGD

WATCH THE VIDEO!: http://www.hungertv.com/feature/exclusive-mr-hudson-move/

©AFROW2013-2019 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED