Sinkane - Mean Love

Sinkane

Mean Love

1 September 2014

DFA/City Slang

 

3 stars out of 5

 

 

Sudan-born, Ohio-raised, Brooklyn-based musician Sinkane is all over the musical map. His third LP, Mean Love, ranges from ‘70s soul to Afrobeat to Kraut rock to country. The opener, “How We Be,” is part Pretzel Logic-era Steely Dan, part soundtrack to a ‘70s blaxploitation flick. The very next track, “New Name,” is part Fela Kuti, part His Name Is Alive circa Detrola. As a refugee fleeing the conflict in Sudan with his parents as a young child, Sinkane (born Ahmed Gallab) is, like millions upon millions of others on the planet, a citizen of multiple worlds. Is this why Mean Love is so diverse in its influences? Possibly, but the simple chronological order of events doesn’t mean causation. Plenty of musicians who have never moved more than ten kilometres from their place of birth genre-hop freely, actively absorbing and reinterpreting various kinds of music from around the world. And there are plenty of those who do the opposite. I’m sure Sinkane would rather we concentrated on his music than his past.

 

So, the music? Upbeat, inviting music with serious, often intensely personal and emotionally naked lyrics (see “Son”). There aren’t too many sharp edges here; everything is very polished and precise—it’s not difficult to imagine Sinkane as a control freak in the studio (much like Steely Dan). There’s no sense that anything is the result of a happy accident or even improvisation (which is fine—after all, Pretzel Logic is a magnificent work of art which is incredibly anti-improvisational). The effect here, however, is to sterilize somewhat what could have been a very powerful record. When Sinkane sings, “I will not forget where I came from,” on “Son,” there’s a sense of sadness—not so much from empathizing with what must have been a harrowing childhood experience, but from regretting that the music and performance isn’t as powerful as one would hope for in such a song.

 

Perhaps Sinkane’s career as a session musician has pushed him into playing only what’s on the sheet music, but what’s lacking on Mean Love is a loose, emotional performance. If he can break free from his inhibitions and learn how to unhinge himself a bit, his next record will be very impressive indeed.

 

reviewed by Richard Krueger