‘Twenty Twelve’ is Nicci Canada’s debut album and it’s already starting to make waves on the indie soul scene and it’s easy to hear why. Simply put, it’s a proper modern soul album – decent new, varied songs, sung with a belief and a passion and all sympathetically produced… a refreshing change to a lot of the clichéd, retro grooves that so often masquerades as “modern” soul these days.
The album’s overriding sound is a mix of neo soul and jazz and in places there’s a deal of “Badduism” about proceedings … most obvious on the album’s closing track – ‘Free’, on which Ms. C manages to offer props to Ms. B. There’s more of Badu about the languid ‘Butterfly’, though other listeners have suggested the tone and approach are closer to Jill Scott. Yes, Nicci Canada, in places, does have shades of those two greats but where she’s markedly different is in the jazz shadings she brings to her work. The jazz sensitivities are clear on the loose and leggy ‘Welcome To My World’ and the scatty title cut.
Elsewhere there’s some decent balladry on offer… the best being the moody ‘Take It Back’, while any husband would be flattered to have a song like ‘Boaz’ dedicated to him. ‘Rivertown’ has a touch of contemporary R&B about it while ‘Love’ might appeal to the dancers – those who are sedate enough to like their beats a tad slower and a little more sedate. There’s a lot to investigate here and you can find out more @ www.NicciCanadaMusic.com
(BB) 3/5
