Neneh Cherry, post-punk songstress and club diva through the late 80s early 90s, went through a bit of a hiatus in the mid-to-late 90s and 00s while still outputting material that received remix treatment predominately in the French house scene. Now she joins with Scandinavian free-jazz outfit The Thing in an album of interpretations including a work from her father, legendary Jazz cornetist, Don Cherry in the track ‘Golden Heart’; a downbeat jazz thing with an almost narcotic feel, playing dubbed out echo vocals over the band’s complex freeform style. Don Cherry’ long-term association with Ornette Coleman delivers another track, ‘What Reason (Could I Give)’ – again a sultry torch-jazz vocal playing up to Mats Gustafsson’s saxophone and the slow shuffle drum and acoustic bass.
There are a few original tracks, namely opener ‘Cashback’ penned by Neneh Cherry and ‘Sudden Moment’s by the prolific saxophonist of The Thing, Mats Gustafsson, which is a lengthy explosive avant-jazz affair playing up the band’s clear talents to full effect. The rest of the tracks are interpretations of punk music from Suicide’s ‘Dream Baby Dream’, which is an infectious motif and lyric built into a groove which has received significant web attention through the release of the Four Tet remix.
The Stooges’ ‘Dirt’s ends the reverence to the punk era with a horns and drum lead down and dirty attack, allowing the vocals a purring, scowling teasing and almost comic nihilism that brings Cherry closer to Eartha Kitt than Iggy Pop. The cover of Martina Topley-Birds’ ‘Too Tough To Die’ steers away from the grunge guitar electronica and samples of the original to a full blown guitar and drum attack with vocals front and centre in a stauncher statement that adds visceral energy where the frailty of the original’s held ambiguity. ‘Accordion’, the MF Doom cover, is a quiet affair allowing for Doom’s ingenious lyrical ability – shown as a strange slick claim to Blaxplotation switch blade lyrics – building to a fight and purring growl of the band, hitting cow bell as call. Yet Doom’s lyrics dominate and keep the ring full with only one prizefighter.
It’s an interesting combination of influences and will please many a jazz fusion fan and enthusiast for left-field punk funk music enthusiast. Definitely The Thing go all out for Gustafsson’s work, but they work deftly in negotiating a space for Cherry’s voice and preserving aspects of the originals without displaying overt pain of constraint, often breaking into interpretative fields untrod.
Innerversitysound
