CD: Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics | reviews, news & interviews
CD: Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics
CD: Neneh Cherry - Broken Politics
The singer's latest album features some of her most impressive songs to date
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/mast_image_landscape/public/mastimages/Neneh_0.jpg?itok=3-972EUc)
Collaboration clearly suits Neneh Cherry. From co-writing with husband Cameron McVey, to projects with Youssou N’Dour, her band cirKus, The Thing and RocketNumberNine, the give-and-take of partnership has produced some stunning work that has always seen the singer give as much as she has taken.
Cherry is an honest, open performer and that translates to her vocal style. Much attention has been focused on the involvement of Keiron “Four Tet” Hebden as producer on this project, and his trademark sparkle is much in evidence with carefully controlled clatter and subtle rewinds sitting behind sparkles and fizz, but perhaps the deftest touch is giving Cherry’s voice the space to shine.
Her tonal signature is so identifiable, so incredibly attractive, that it needs to dominate, and that’s exactly what it does, Cherry’s trademark vibrato riding the wave. It remains impressively raw and honest throughout, never imperious, never showy. It’s a voice that needs to be heard rather than demanding it.
Eschewing shrieking acrobatics in favour of subtler signifiers of emotion, Cherry’s voice is perfectly suited to Hebden’s production, which is every bit as nuanced and makes for an impressive continuity through a range of diverse tempos and hues. At one end of the spectrum sits “Synchronised Devotion”, the delicate sound of history quietly colliding. The gentle piano lines come clouded in the sitting-room echo of nostalgia, while a vibraphone and Cherry’s voice are right up in the mix, front and centre. Its neighbour, “Deep Vein Thrombosis”, follows a similar pace but with a darker, more sombre intent, something of a recurring theme in a thoughtful, reflective collection.
At the other end, “Natural Skin Deep” is a ferociously funk-driven stormer, the rolling skate of the steel band sample helping to keep a sense of momentum and purpose before everything collapses through the doors of a jazz club at the signal of an air horn. It’s only a brief respite, the song sprinting off as soon as it hears its cue again.
In between these points lie some of Cherry’s most satisfying songs to date, including the static-soaked skank of recent single “Kong”, all buoyed by sympathetic and symbiotic production. It all adds up to a completely satisfying synthesis.
Overleaf: watch the video for "Kong"
Collaboration clearly suits Neneh Cherry. From co-writing with husband Cameron McVey, to projects with Youssou N’Dour, her band cirKus, The Thing and RocketNumberNine, the give-and-take of partnership has produced some stunning work that has always seen the singer give as much as she has taken.
Cherry is an honest, open performer and that translates to her vocal style. Much attention has been focused on the involvement of Keiron “Four Tet” Hebden as producer on this project, and his trademark sparkle is much in evidence with carefully controlled clatter and subtle rewinds sitting behind sparkles and fizz, but perhaps the deftest touch is giving Cherry’s voice the space to shine.
Her tonal signature is so identifiable, so incredibly attractive, that it needs to dominate, and that’s exactly what it does, Cherry’s trademark vibrato riding the wave. It remains impressively raw and honest throughout, never imperious, never showy. It’s a voice that needs to be heard rather than demanding it.
Eschewing shrieking acrobatics in favour of subtler signifiers of emotion, Cherry’s voice is perfectly suited to Hebden’s production, which is every bit as nuanced and makes for an impressive continuity through a range of diverse tempos and hues. At one end of the spectrum sits “Synchronised Devotion”, the delicate sound of history quietly colliding. The gentle piano lines come clouded in the sitting-room echo of nostalgia, while a vibraphone and Cherry’s voice are right up in the mix, front and centre. Its neighbour, “Deep Vein Thrombosis”, follows a similar pace but with a darker, more sombre intent, something of a recurring theme in a thoughtful, reflective collection.
At the other end, “Natural Skin Deep” is a ferociously funk-driven stormer, the rolling skate of the steel band sample helping to keep a sense of momentum and purpose before everything collapses through the doors of a jazz club at the signal of an air horn. It’s only a brief respite, the song sprinting off as soon as it hears its cue again.
In between these points lie some of Cherry’s most satisfying songs to date, including the static-soaked skank of recent single “Kong”, all buoyed by sympathetic and symbiotic production. It all adds up to a completely satisfying synthesis.
Overleaf: watch the video for "Kong"
rating
Share this article
Subscribe to theartsdesk.com
Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.
To take a subscription now simply click here.
And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?
more New music
![Peter Baumann in 1976, as he was on the cover of his first solo album 'Romance ’76' - before he left Tangerine Dream](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Peter%20Baumann%20-%20Phase%20By%20Phase%20The%20Virgin%20Albums_header_1000.jpg?itok=EzsjhNAs)
![Scratch goes into space for the last time](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Lee%20Scratch%20Perry%20and%20Youth%20-%20Spaceship%20To%20Mars%20TAD.jpg?itok=s5kEO00o)
![Mercury Rev's 'Born Horses': mind-blowing](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/mercury%20rev%20born%20horses.jpg?itok=NjxK8lkR)
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/cover%20Galliano%20-%20Halfway%20Somewhere.jpg?itok=qPSPe5ZH)
!['Cave saddling up and riding through a misty land of choirs and strings'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/WildGod.jpg?itok=k073fxiu)
!['A remarkable experience of nostalgic romance and melancholic glamour from this cinematic star'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/PXL_20240824_201115220.jpg?itok=OVpiKCWg)
![blink-182 enchant with their performance of hits new and old](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/blinkfinal.jpg?itok=FZhU6D-j)
!['Zenón doesn’t do in-your-face polemic; his ways are altogether cleverer and subtler'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Cover_Zen%C3%B3n_Golden_City_%20resize.jpg?itok=rS3bsW6-)
!['This was about jazz and its offshoots still surging with life and still pushing against boundaries'](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/WOH2024_LaurenLuxenberg_S8A5347.jpg?itok=9AReosNS)
![Shadowplay, with main-man Brandi Ifgray at the front](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/Shadowplay_Header_1000_Stupido%20Records%20Jouko%20Lehtola.jpg?itok=P8CwWd4j)
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/659de5ec82182e3a83f4a9ed045ee50dee9b577e1eda46200bbd8c5b051944e2.jpg?itok=9EGs30UR)
![The new New Age gathers](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/mastimages/medfest1.jpg?itok=0M9Qf3Yt)