When Somi was growing up, her mother told her that the rain, ever unpredictable, could be as much a blessing as a challenge. That notion has stayed with the charismatic singer and songwriter all her life and now provides a metaphorical focus for her third album, If The Rains Come First. (ObliqSound), a stunning collection of self-penned story-based songs, a meditation on opening ourselves up to life’s blessings and challenges much in the way that we accept the rain and all that it brings.
As The Boston Globe recently put it, Somi’s new album “glistens with the sheen of an almost impossibly perfect cosmopolitanism." Singing in English and three East African languages, Somi’s vocal delivery is subtle yet the power she exerts is enormous. Her artistic evolution is indisputable.
Born in Illinois to immigrants from Rwanda and Uganda, the African and Jazz legacies are always crucial to her sound. Often compared to the likes of Miriam Makeba, Sarah Vaughn, Cassandra Wilson, and Cesaria Evora, her new album also features the legendary trumpeter Hugh Masekela, a longtime Somi fan and mentor.
JazzTimes magazine describes her live performance as “the earthy gutsiness of Nina Simone blended with the vocal beauty of Dianne Reeves,” Billboard calls it “all elegance and awe…utterly captivating,” and Vogue simply calls her voice “superb.”
As her career has taken off, Somi’s talents have been called upon for collaborations and live performances alongside John Legend, Cassandra Wilson, Mos Def and Paul Simon. Most recently, internationally renowned Israeli artist Idan Raichel featured Somi on his latest platinum-selling album Within My Walls (Cumbancha), on the track “Maisha,” which Somi also co-wrote.
In addition to her own works, Somi also aims to bring other important cultural gems to light, and has founded a non-profit arts organization, New Africa Live, committed to producing multidisciplinary events that celebrate contemporary African artists.
As active as she is, Somi always takes the time necessary to finesse each song she crafts. If the Rains Come First reveals the careful attention she pays to getting the details right. “I never force a song out” she says. “Usually having quiet space for introspection and meditation inspires me deeply. I’ve also begun doing more co-writing with the musicians in my band for stronger harmonic arrangements and the opportunity to share the music with them in a more personal way. The songs on this album show where I am emotionally and spiritually today. At the end of the day, I still know who I am and where home is before, during, and after the rain—it’s in the music.”
Wow what a dope event, it was so much fun!! Here is the 1st part of the video from the "Hip Hop Meets Couture" Ed Hardy Fashion show inside the beautiful San Francisco City Hall. Thee most incredible venue to perform in especially alongside a runway of gorgeous models struttin the hotest fashion!! You can watch all 4 parts on YouTube :-)
Thanks so much for the Add–and your friendship. We enjoyed your music very much. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's a pleasure having you among our friends! We've added two blogs about Umano, plus four more new compositions, making ten on our page. We hope you and your friends visit us and enjoy our music, too. We wake up every morning and play the music of the new MySpace friends who have arrived at our site during the night. It occurred to us that these friends (you are among them) are almost universally positive, whether they be novices or legends, and without regard to their station in life or the country they occupy. Although it's not an original thought, it also occurred to us that we couldn’t hold a verbal conversation with most of these friends, but we have bridged that gap by expressing our art honestly with each other. We all have been filling the world with our music and art, in the hope that our messages of love and human understanding will have an impact on the world at large. What a gift and what an opportunity we have received from this technology!
Hiya, thanks for being a friend - I enjoyed visiting YourSpace :-) Keep it up May your life be full of love, light and fun... hugs SOREN - Beats for change - NYERTUN
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