Neneh Cherry
Homebrew

THE REVIEW

Great character, Neneh Cherry.

Daughter of an artist, she debuted as a dance artist with the excellent "Raw Like Sushi" in 1989, which established her significant stature in skillfully juggling the electronic remnants of a decade fervent in rhythmic appeal. But it was with the following "Homebrew" that Neneh delivered her masterpiece, dedicated to her newborn daughter. The dance influences from the debut were not abandoned; instead, they were blended with rock, r'n'b, and hip hop influences, with soul sensitivity and a well-calibrated pop sensibility. A true milestone for black music.

And then there's that recognizable voice among a thousand, raucous and intense like few others, effortlessly changing register and managing to avoid the traps of banality, thanks also to lyrics that skillfully alternate between social themes (especially on the condition of women) and personal ones.
The track most similar to the first album is certainly "Buddy X," but already on "Move with me," there is a magnificent ability to blend intense electronic movements, whereas the outstanding "I ain't gone under yet" introduces delicate jazz nuances, counterbalanced by the incredibly danceable "Money love," thanks to a truly enjoyable guitar groove. A truly astonishing eclecticism, as demonstrated by the best track of the lot, that "Trout" in which Michael Stipe's voice provides moments of poignant poetry to a track that skillfully mixes hip-hop rhythms, pop essentiality, rock energy, and even futuristic sampler fragments.

A truly fundamental album, because it showed that the intersections between black music and rock already in vogue at that time could not overlook personality, poetry, and a significant social awareness.