It’s no surprise, given both the time lapse and the fluid nature of the project, that these recordings differ sonically from the 1980s material.1992 finds Saâda Bonaire folding new influences from the time (house, hip-hop, rap) into their eclectic sonic universe. Vocalist Andrea Ebert’s soulful voice –the result of a church choir background and an early love of American soul and jazz music– offset Stephanie Lange’s laid-back, more German-sounding vocals. This unique interplay bolstered the band’s new direction - evident in their inspired takes on James Brown’s “Woman” and Syreeta Wright and Stevie Wonder’s “To Know You Is To Love You”. The American influence was also made literalvia contributions by renowned DJ Matthias Heillbronn and rapper Jimmy Lee Patterson, both of whom lent some stardust to the track sat François Kevorkian’s Axis Studios in NYC.
Unfortunately, the demo recordings were considered too bizarre for1990s record label standards, and as a result were never published. As with all things Saâda Bonaire, the discovery of these discarded recordings feels like a sort of magical impossibility. It’s been nearly ten years since the release of the last compilation, and thirty since the recordings were originally captured. That they still manage to sound fresh and avant garde is a testament to Saâda Bonaire’s flair for creating pop music for past, present, and future outsiders.
STAFF COMMENTS
Barry says: While the material we got from the SUPERB 2013 Captured Tracks offering differed quite a bit from what we get here, there is still a clear line to be drawn between them where composition and production is concerned. Just imagine the off-kilter soulful, percussive nature of that stormer and add in some hazy 90's house vibes and a healthy dose of hip-hop influence and you might be somewhere near to describing it. Singularly voiced, and completely unique new chapter here from the great Saâda Bonaire.TRACK LISTING
LP:
1. Woman
2. To Know You Is To Love You
3. Extremes
4. So Many Dreams
5. Running
6. Okay It’s Over
7. That’s Right
8. Lovelife
9. Your Prince
10. 7th House
11. Move From The Heart
12. Follow Your Mind
CD:
1. Woman
2. To Know You Is To Love You
3. Extremes
4. So Many Dreams
5. Running
6. Okay It’s Over
7. That’s Right
8. Lovelife
9. Your Prince
10. 7th House
11. Move From The Heart
12. Follow Your Mind
13. So Many Dreams (NYC Classic Edit)
14. So Many Dreams (1992 Demo Mix)
15. So Many Dreams (Amek Live Dub)