Going by the sounds of her new album, it wouldn’t unreasonable to assume that Greentea Peng enjoys sucking on a spliff every once in a while. Tell Dem It’s Sunny is certainly Gold Seal gear with a distinctly smoky atmosphere, that’s for sure.
Dubby trip hip and woozy neo-soul are the order of the day with lyrics that are sometimes political, sometimes spiritual and sometimes absurd but which always flow with the loops and basslines that she’s dreamed up with collaborators from Earbuds to Samo and Wu-Lu, to name only a few. However, even at its most heavy and forthright, as on the Dälek-like “Create and Destroy 432” and the glorious “I Am (Reborn)” with its looping gait and raw bluesy guitar riff, Tell Dem It’s Sunny is relaxed and spaced out. That’s not to say that it’s anything less than the real deal throughout and it’s certainly no single-speed stumble.
“I do this shit / I do it honest” she proclaims on the tripped-out shuffle of “Tardis (Hardest)”, which seems to pull in the best of Mary J Blige, Ms Dynamite and Lauryn Hill but to create something that is much more than these influences might suggest. The woozy and intoxicating “Green” conjures up early Portishead-like vibes and is smooth and laidback with plenty of soul, while “Stones Throw”, with its glitchy breakbeat groove, hints at something of Neneh Cherry’s most recent sounds.
In a just world, it’s likely that Greentea Peng wouldn’t be able to move for media attention. Yet, on the deep and seductive “One Foot”, with its vamp on Paul Weller’s “Sunflower” riff Peng asks “Is it too late for me?” Any such self-doubt should be firmly brushed aside though, for Tell Dem It’s Sunny has Greentea Peng making a righteous play for the Album of the Year status, even if we’ve only just stepped into Spring.
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