Neneh Cherry hits sweet spot between chill and furious
NENEH CHERRY
★★★★
Carriageworks, January 15
From a childhood spent in a converted rural schoolhouse that acted as a hub for artists to being part of a musical collective in her early-twenties that included members of Massive Attack, Neneh Cherry has always been exposed to the powerful effect of creating a communal spirit with like-minded souls.
Tonight the 54-year-old Swedish singer and occasional rapper conjures an inclusive bond with the
audience from the off, not through forced crowd participation but by simply being herself - warm,
laidback and charming, graciously thanking us for “bringing our bodies into the living room”.
Positive vibes may abound, but make no mistake: Cherry is also righteously angry about the current
state of the world, a committed activist unafraid to mix the startlingly intimate and overtly political in her music.
Peacefulness and fighting the power aren’t mutually exclusive in Cherry’s world, as evidenced on opener Fallen Leaves where a gorgeous, harp-led melody coaxes out gently-delivered protestations like “just because I’m down, don’t step all over me”.
If it’s possible to relay the feeling of being chill and furious at the same time, Cherry has somehow magically located the sweet spot.
Six rotating musicians using an assortment of percussion, marimba, harp, bass guitar, keyboard and a couple of laptops add welcome extra muscle to the tracks from last year’s Broken Politics LP that make up the majority of the set-list, the thicker beats exposing the inherent trip-hop DNA in standouts like Shotgun Shack and Kong.
Having artfully fleshed-out her most recent material, Cherry rewards the faithful with a trio of crowd-pleasing throwbacks in the form of a trip-hop style cover of Cole Porter's I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Manchild from 1989 debut album Raw Like Sushi and a revamped version of Buffalo Stance, the still-fresh earworm that put Cherry on the musical map 31 years ago.
Basking in the afterglow of the dancing frenzy caused by the airing of her biggest hit, Cherry concludes the performance by allowing several fans on stage for selfies and hugs, an artist ever-committed to erasing boundaries and demonstrating her belief in the simple power of bringing people together.