The Grammy-nominated, Netherlands born and bred multi-instrumentalist/composer/producer Nicolay has been racking up quite a collection of solo projects separate from his potentially more famous role as one-half of The Foreign Exchange with MC/singer-songwriter Phonte Coleman of Little Brother fame.
With the release of City Lights, Vol. 3: Soweto, the Dutch star will have headlined six solo and duo albums, many featuring frequent collaborator and the rapper Kay and signature performances by various +FE alumni, including Phonte, YahZarah, and most recently Carlitta Durand. His forthcoming LP, musically inspired by +FE’s South African debut in 2014, includes Coleman, but also Carmen Rodgers and Tamisha Waden and will be released through +FE Music on June 9th.
Until then, Nicolay has deemed fit to share with us a “full single bundle” simultaneously (or an A and B side for you old school vinyl kats). Of the two über-creative cuts, “The Brightest Star (feat. Carmen Rodgers and Phonte)” is the most thrilling with its near frantic urban pacing, starlight percussive impressions of the polyrhythmic African drum beat, and heavenly choral vocals essentially scatting in what could be anything from Ndebele to Zulu. Thanks to Nicolay’s artfully busy composition, you can almost see the hustle bustle of Soweto as this panoramic track unfolds. Phonte’s punctuating presence near the intricate track’s end nicely caps the interplay between voice and instrumental movement. As for the B-side, the exquisite woodwind work on “Afterglow” certainly evokes the warm feel of a pleasant and promising morning after, but at a 2:49 sliver it almost feels like a prelude shower to round two rather than the spent aftermath of the main event. Though limited in what she’s given to do, newcomer Tamisha Waden’s alto strikes a notably bolder female presence than has been showcased on Nicolay’s previous outing, City Lights, Vol. 2: Shibuya, while Phonte’s role here is far more casual and accenting than lead. Overall, these night and day cuts whet an appetite for more of Nicolay’s South African inspired musical soundscapes of sophistication and wonder.
By L. Michael Gipson