Nubiyan Twist – ‘Find Your Flame’ album review: the sound of a middling summer
THE SKINNY: As we rattle through spring, the blossom falls, and the leaves bud, bringing optimism and brightness to the vitamin D-deficient souls of the northern hemisphere. As much as some of us may enjoy the mid-winter desolation of post-punk, there is a time and place for the vibrant rhythms of jazz-fusion bands like Nubiyan Twist.
This nine-piece, led by guitarist and producer Tom Excell, has no shortage of musical talent. Having first formed in 2011 at Leeds College of Music, the collective made a significant impact with the 2015 eponymous debut album, from which they continued to prosper through performances at Glastonbury and most major jazz festivals around the world.
Nubiyan Twist thrive on genre mixing, marrying Afrobeat, reggae, rap, soul and R’n’B together under a jazzy canopy. Far from the drizzly streets of Leeds, this collective evokes tropical beaches and heady parties with a celebration of equatorial sounds. In their fourth album, Find Your Flame, Nubiyan Twist treat their established sound to a series of high-profile collaborations.
This intense jazz fusion experiment can, at times, feel like a soup with too many ingredients, paradoxically becoming bland. Find Your Flame is bright and danceable at nearly every turn, and I would no doubt enjoy such rhythms at a Barbadian beach party, but there’s a great deal of music that wouldn’t be enjoyable in such a setting. In its finest moments, the album brings intriguing vocals from Nigeria and Mali and hears the mighty Nile Rodgers on the six-string.
For fans of: Howard Moon, colourful cocktails and disturbing the pebbles on Brighton Beach.
A concluding comment from Mark Corrigan: “This record evokes those carefree mid-summer days of yore, where you could find me waltzing through the Quantocks with my mother.”
Find Your Flame track by track:
Release Date: May 3rd | Producer: Tom Excell | Label: Strut Records
‘Battle Isn’t Over’: Jazzy brass meets contemporary pop vocals in a fruity cocktail sure to impress summertime revellers, but it’s not my cup of tea. To derive a positive, the band knows what it’s doing, and the production is on point, as expected from Tom Excell. [2/5]
‘Lights Out’: This track benefits handsomely from some guitar stylings from the legendary Nile Rodgers. The man seems to crop up just about everywhere these days, but it’s never a chore to hear his sultry licks. [3.5/5]
‘All The Same’: The problem with jazz and jazz-infused products, in my opinion, is that they frequently fall victim to repetitive banality. Just three tracks in, and I can feel this trait creeping up on my ears. The nuances of Ria Moran’s soulful vocals can do little to stir my long-term memory. [3/5]
‘Woman’: This number is bright and tropical, the perfect accompaniment to a piña colada on a sun-soaked coast. In a dense lyrical display, the vocalists convey a message of gender equality and wider world peace. [3/5]
‘You Don’t Know Me’: In collaboration with jazz artist corto.alto, we hear a similar instrumental display of dynamic percussion and jaunty brass. Again, I can appreciate the instrumental virtuosity, but it fails to penetrate the skin with somewhat forgettable lyrics. [2.5/5]
‘Carry Me’: In collaboration with Seun Kuti, the youngest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, ‘Carry Me’ enjoys some Nigerian influences. The vocals are a breath of fresh air, but the instrumentals are much the same, with a machine gun beat and pulsating brass. [3.5/5]
‘So Mi Stay’: The line “more vibes, more life, yeah we toasting” nearly had my lunch up and confirmed that this album is not for me. While it contains lyrical depth in places, it is mostly a “happy vibes” jazz-pop album far from my rainy and ruminative British psyche. [2/5]
‘Pray For Me Part 1’: In collaboration with NEONE The Wonderer, a similar instrumental progression is treated to several vocal arrangements, including a couple of rap verses. It is a punchy and relentless track, but only the first part of a double bill. [2.5/5]
‘Pray For Me Part 2’: In part two of the double bill, Nubiyan Twist collaborate with K.O.G. Surprisingly, the song isn’t a continuation of part one, with a different lyrical approach and a slightly lighter instrumental display. [2.5/5]
‘Reach My Soul’: In a moment of much-needed respite from the all-day cruise ship party, ‘Reach My Soul’ is comparatively sedate, with a brooding rhythm adorned by floating keys, brass and soulful vocals. [3/5]
‘Find Your Flame’: Drummer Finn Booth enters his finest moment in this title track with some effective beat transitions providing structure alongside a repeated synth tone. ‘Find Your Flame’ is quite possibly the most enjoyable track on the album. [3.5/5]
‘Slow Breath’: In the album’s concluding song, Nubiyan Twist squeeze in one final collaboration with the Malian singer Mamani Keïta. Keïta’s vocals are among the most enjoyable on the album, making this another late highlight. [3.5/5]
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