With a strikingly long title, a euphoric and honest full debut LP by the British-born Nigerian poet, spoken word artist and musician based in Sweden, working with his musical partner Ludvig Parment’s sonic layers, packed pacy dance and hip-hop grooves, clever sampling, slower reflections, and articulate expressions of positivity through the ups and downs of grief and hope. Previously gaining acclaim for the EP and single Mum Does The Washing, which is included on the album, Idehen has previously collaborated with various artists including The Comet Is Coming and its saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings (here providing flute), Sons of Kemet and Daedelus. But here his voice and joy is fully unleashed, a breath of fresh air in a dark world, themed around redemption and collectivism. Highlights include It Always Was (“With a little bit of luck / And a handful of courage / We will make it through the night / And out to where the sun is”), This Is The Place (“the rhythm and the love”), the infectious opener You Wanna Dance Or What, the slow, philosophical My Love with Amanda Bergman on vocals, but most of all Your Mum Does the Washing, a spoken word number with a gradual building beat, and a clever, witty series of political and social definitions, from Capitalism (“Your mum does the washing, you pay her a dollar / You get her to do your mate's washing, your mate pays you fifty dollars”) to Communism (“Your mum does the washing, you do the washing / Every night, you salute a picture of your dad”) to the rather topical Zionism (“You shoved your mum into the washing machine / And the spinning made her dizzy / And that dizziness made her vomit / And you point to that vomit and call it antisemitism”), Mansplaining (“Your mum does the washing / You tell her how best to do the washing / You have never done the washing”, Same-sex marriage (“Your mums do the washing”) and many more clever turns, including Surrealism (“The washing does your mum”). Like a washing machine, the album keeps revolving with dance spins, but also various reflective Interludes including the heartbreaking voice sample on How I Found Forgiveness, to Brother’s jazz-infused philosophical, or the pacy drum’n’bass backed Whatever Comes, describing helping and being helped by another man with mental health issues. But ends, for balance and to avoid what Idehen calls empty “toxic positivity” with a quieter spoken word piece, What Is Redemption, featuring Leone Ross and Sazzie Kluvitse, questioning whether it is possible for everybody to find it. Refreshing, fun, openly candid and cathartic. Out on Heavenly Recordings.
Joshua Idehen
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