EP Review: Lindsey Abudei’s Kaleidoscope Examines Self & Life
The Nigerian singer/songwriter addresses themes of love, religion and existential concerns.
Seven years ago, Lindsey Abudei’s 2016 debut album ‘…And the Bass Is Queen’ proved to be a career game-changer. The album, which she began recording in 2014 (a year after her 2013 EP ‘Brown’), was a muscular display of Abudei’s mastery as she wrapped rhythms of Neo-soul and R&B around topics of melancholy, love and discovering self. ‘…And the Bass Is Queen’ made her more than just a little-known name who lent her vocals to tracks from M.I Abaga and Jesse Jagz to an artist destined for a space in Nigerian music royalty.
Although a lot of time separates 2016 from 2023, Abudei’s form is top-notch as she shows her latest EP ‘Kaleidoscope,’ which she co-produced with Nigerian artist and music producer Bigfootinyourface. While she kept a low profile in the Nigerian music scene, Abudei, who also has her fingers in photography, art design and architecture, was busy behind the scenes sharpening her creativity: an Art OMI: Music 2017 Fellow, a BANFF Jazz And Creative Music 2018 alumna, a Red Bull Music Academy (RBMA) 2018 aluma, a Pop-Kultur Nachwuchs alumna, a ColabNowNow 2019 Art resident, a OneBeat 2021 Music Fellow and a Black Girls Glow 2022 Fellow.
On ‘Kaleidoscope,’ the themes of love (of self/of another person), religion and existential concerns reign. Short interludes (termed intermissions) serve as circuits to connect the messages throughout the 13-track body of work. The interludes mostly feature humming and Acapella-style singing, which builds tempo from the start and results in a burst of melodies, like on “Rogue (Intro).”
Read the rest of the review at the NATIVE.
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