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Eclectica (Episodes in Purple)
By Kerry Baynes
The product starts with horns in the background and lyrics of love - two of my favorite things. I have to appreciate Zaki Ibrahim and the work she produced. Eclectica is heraldry, R&B spiked with hip hop treats. I can’t sleep on this; it is mind-exhilarating. The lyrics are not tame and the words hit deep within the cerebellum; they are pure palladium – a natural element as beautiful as gold –well at least to me. It’s like catering a birthday party for an African King or Queen.
The second track will placate any listener’s inner taste for eclectic refrains. I’m just a humble stenographer, but Zaki will take you to a magical place; her voice is not quite Jill Scott, not quite Macy Gray, but a twinge of both, ripe for the savoring of eclectic taste buds.
Track number three is my favorite. It has the echo of Dr. Dre in the background. The West coast bass is true to the California hues he made us accustomed to. Sunshine and sweet ‘traffic-jams’ are reverberated in each and every boom that flies out of the speakers. My ears were pleased. Follow Zaki on this journey. She is a switch hitter; the second half is even faster.
Track four, Grow Again, slows it down and gives you classic rhythm and blues listening. The high hat and cymbals are left to protrude in your mind. The verbals are hip hop gold, fast as Cab Calloway. It portrays jazz, using today’s lingo in a jazzy sort of way.
Track number six goes French. The guitar is blues walking on water without shoes. The tryst that goes on between the beat and the artist is quite ‘Cleopatrick’, a sound absolutely dipped in the most royal hues.
The Connection brings us into the 21st century, fast and upbeat. It is a rose blossom in a sand storm. Different in so many ways, but the lyrics are synonymous with the first track, mathematically intoned with the soul of love-lost listeners. The slow beginning picks up with a waterfall of rhythms cascading around the lyrics of a young Lena Horne. It has that late 1960’s guitar and Cuban drums, updated for the new millennium.
Money: the King Brit Remix is indiscriminately African. The ‘riddim’ is transcontinental. There is no escaping the African origins in this one. The view of a forest in bloom, fruit laden trees and every type of pleasantry that can be gleaned from an African experience imbues you. The speed of the beat is an indulgence in itself, reminiscent of a carnival episode. Don’t forget the secret tracks.
The guitars are amazing, and Ibrahim’s command of linguistics is upbeat and unbeatable. The combination makes this CD a classic. I only expect good things in the future from this artist. Look out for the next CD, trust me it will be a collector’s item.
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