Seasta Chani's 'Life Sounds Like' Review |
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Western Australia. The two words conjures up certain connotations and impressions. Safe, sunny beaches is one, 'Dullsville' is another. What normally doesn't come to mind is the hip hop scene, which has only come to forefront somewhat in the last few years, despite the work and presence of local scene legends like Syllabolix and associated members. One such member Layla, is noted for her no holds barred approach, as well as being one of the few female emcees kicking around back in the day, thus inspiring others to enter. 2015 finds Seasta Chani, a fellow female emcee release her debut album Life Sounds Like, which, as expected, covers the diverse life experiences this emcee would face growing up on the West Coast.
Kicking off with the aptly titled Intro, the track kicks starts off sampling the recognizable sounds of Jill Scott's Love Rain that also features the familiar sound of legend Mos Def, which nicely sets up the tone of the incoming album for the listener. Peppering over the soothing sounds, rhymes about being 'one of hip hop's girl child, on the breeze like lilies growing wild from’, Chani reinforces what is about happen. Rhyming over a bass line that wouldn't be out of place on Stevie Wonder's Supernatural, Chani reinforces the tone of the album with Finding My Own Feet, with the constant refrain of 'loose my footing but finding it' at its core, a theme that would resonates with everyone.
Hear Me continues the passage of life and the narrative. Tales of seeing Salt N Pepa in '88, with music acting as therapy amongst the 'glorious debauchery' offers a moment of the strange contrast present in all our lives. The vast geography of Western Australia is given a nod with An Angel, which forms a discrete link towards Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz, with the hero of the story chariot not being the expected white, but instead a memorable black convertible. With conventions thus defied, Life Sounds Like continues to challenge the listener's perceptions as it shifts into the next phase.
The album is one stepped in local history. Hip Hop Needs Us features Optamus of Downsyde as well as The Apprentice and acts as a rallying cry, with the beat not sounding too dissimilar to tracks heard in the various Downsyde albums over the years. The Kings's Son, produced by local Rob Shaker, utilizes Make The Road by Walking by the Menahan Street Band to great effect, with the sample emphasizing the escapades of falling in and out of love, whilst Lonely Fool sets out to reinforce this with its honky-tonk blues stomp, a favoured musical styling of having one's heart ripped out.
It is this point the album shifts into a more worldly focus. Us And Them is built on a Bhangra beat that wouldn't be out of place in a Bollywood production, an acts as a focus for Chani's personal and global beliefs. These beliefs touch upon contemporary issues, such as globalization effects of events such as mass mergers, as well as issues like purpose built division of public. Brothers Three finds a return to the personal regarding Chani's family life, which serves as a reminder of the huge influence family can have on someone, before the electronic work song sounds of Many Times kicks in, which is about 'finding my way home', and serves as a reflective intermission of sorts.
The album's closing tracks act as an apt distillation of all the elements that preceded up until this point. Brag About It featuring Alysha Amani (of The Armani Consort) tackles the typical format of many a hip hop songs. The usual sexual prowess boasts that populate many hip hop songs is given a dressing down. No punches are pulled, where 'rhyming fuck with fuck' is given the exact treatment it deserves.
Boom Boom Boom touches upon local current affairs, with the now defunct Mining Boom given a look in. The influx of drugs, easy money and other societal impacts that occurs with a once in a lifetime economic phenomenon is examined, with the effects and possible destruction lasting a lifetime or beyond. The effects of FIFO culture is also present with What Happened to Our Men, the lament occurring ironically to the bygone sounds of the smoky jazz club era, with this season's smoke being far more detrimental and life wasting of that of the yesteryear. If I acts as the album closer, the nature sounds of what serves as normally an intro song to her sets acts as a bookend, creating a reflective circular process to Chani's body of work.
Life Sounds Like is an album is one filled with sentiments from someone that could be considered somewhat of an outsider, whether it is commenting as a female emcee in a male dominated genre, or questioning the mainstream mentality present in the world. It managers to cover and pull off both a personal and world view perspective of life, which is aided by some sweet production from local stalwarts such as Creed Birch, Beat Specific, and Mei Saraswati, with help also coming from veteran emcees such as Optamus from Downsyde. Life Sounds Like by Seasta Chani is what life sounds like, with all the highs and lows that it can bring.
By David Coffey
Kicking off with the aptly titled Intro, the track kicks starts off sampling the recognizable sounds of Jill Scott's Love Rain that also features the familiar sound of legend Mos Def, which nicely sets up the tone of the incoming album for the listener. Peppering over the soothing sounds, rhymes about being 'one of hip hop's girl child, on the breeze like lilies growing wild from’, Chani reinforces what is about happen. Rhyming over a bass line that wouldn't be out of place on Stevie Wonder's Supernatural, Chani reinforces the tone of the album with Finding My Own Feet, with the constant refrain of 'loose my footing but finding it' at its core, a theme that would resonates with everyone.
Hear Me continues the passage of life and the narrative. Tales of seeing Salt N Pepa in '88, with music acting as therapy amongst the 'glorious debauchery' offers a moment of the strange contrast present in all our lives. The vast geography of Western Australia is given a nod with An Angel, which forms a discrete link towards Janis Joplin's Mercedes Benz, with the hero of the story chariot not being the expected white, but instead a memorable black convertible. With conventions thus defied, Life Sounds Like continues to challenge the listener's perceptions as it shifts into the next phase.
The album is one stepped in local history. Hip Hop Needs Us features Optamus of Downsyde as well as The Apprentice and acts as a rallying cry, with the beat not sounding too dissimilar to tracks heard in the various Downsyde albums over the years. The Kings's Son, produced by local Rob Shaker, utilizes Make The Road by Walking by the Menahan Street Band to great effect, with the sample emphasizing the escapades of falling in and out of love, whilst Lonely Fool sets out to reinforce this with its honky-tonk blues stomp, a favoured musical styling of having one's heart ripped out.
It is this point the album shifts into a more worldly focus. Us And Them is built on a Bhangra beat that wouldn't be out of place in a Bollywood production, an acts as a focus for Chani's personal and global beliefs. These beliefs touch upon contemporary issues, such as globalization effects of events such as mass mergers, as well as issues like purpose built division of public. Brothers Three finds a return to the personal regarding Chani's family life, which serves as a reminder of the huge influence family can have on someone, before the electronic work song sounds of Many Times kicks in, which is about 'finding my way home', and serves as a reflective intermission of sorts.
The album's closing tracks act as an apt distillation of all the elements that preceded up until this point. Brag About It featuring Alysha Amani (of The Armani Consort) tackles the typical format of many a hip hop songs. The usual sexual prowess boasts that populate many hip hop songs is given a dressing down. No punches are pulled, where 'rhyming fuck with fuck' is given the exact treatment it deserves.
Boom Boom Boom touches upon local current affairs, with the now defunct Mining Boom given a look in. The influx of drugs, easy money and other societal impacts that occurs with a once in a lifetime economic phenomenon is examined, with the effects and possible destruction lasting a lifetime or beyond. The effects of FIFO culture is also present with What Happened to Our Men, the lament occurring ironically to the bygone sounds of the smoky jazz club era, with this season's smoke being far more detrimental and life wasting of that of the yesteryear. If I acts as the album closer, the nature sounds of what serves as normally an intro song to her sets acts as a bookend, creating a reflective circular process to Chani's body of work.
Life Sounds Like is an album is one filled with sentiments from someone that could be considered somewhat of an outsider, whether it is commenting as a female emcee in a male dominated genre, or questioning the mainstream mentality present in the world. It managers to cover and pull off both a personal and world view perspective of life, which is aided by some sweet production from local stalwarts such as Creed Birch, Beat Specific, and Mei Saraswati, with help also coming from veteran emcees such as Optamus from Downsyde. Life Sounds Like by Seasta Chani is what life sounds like, with all the highs and lows that it can bring.
By David Coffey