Eska

Released

Eska Mtungwazi is truly an unsung hero of UK music. Since the late 90s her vocal superpowers - technically dazzling but always from the heart — have enhanced records by a mighty array of talent: Ty, IG Culture, Cinematic Orchestra, Matthew Herbert, Nitin Sawhney and UNKLE to name just a few. Amazingly, this from 2015 is her only solo record, but WHAT a record. There’s no hip hop or electronics here: rather, it’s a brilliant fusion of folk and funk with a hint of Radiohead-ish post-rock drama to the songwriting. At times you’ll hear echoes of Joni Mitchell, at others Terry Callier, and on the thrilling “Heroes and Villains” a hint of what Rotary Connection doing reggae would sound like.

Joe Muggs