MUSIC REVIEW: Refreshing new track from Anto Neo Soul
What you need to know:
- To my wonderful surprise, however, it wasn’t neo-soul or jazzy, but a thick Afro-beat jam.
- Not only is it instrumentally well laid, but also the lyrics are as sufficiently fitting, as they are catchy.
The year 2015 has been a slow season for Kenyan music artistes in terms of music output.
The tracks have been very few and far in between to say the least, and fewer still are worth remembering. So when Anto Neo Soul released "Nakupenda", a piece in which he collaborates with L.A.X. it got me curious to listen to what the “neo-soul” act was offering.
To my wonderful surprise, however, it wasn’t neo-soul or jazzy, but a thick Afro-beat jam. Not only is it instrumentally well laid, but also the lyrics are as sufficiently fitting, as they are catchy.
Paying attention to the Nigerian musicians’ use of their local dialect in their music, Anto puts a lot of influence in the Swahili language to express himself here. He only uses English lyrics sparingly and to supplement or hit home the message.
In all honesty, I never saw this side of Anto coming and the song can definitely rival any of those authentically West African hits that are cramming our airwaves.
Definitely could be one of the year’s best local releases, even though there’s external influences to it. Salutes to you Anto.
