‘STRING OF PEARLS’
Caribbean L 22 ife, April 9-15, 2021
“As a songwriter, he was equally
skilled at writing with an eye
for the charts and mining the
depths of his heart, a combination
that created many of the
enduring classics of his era:
‘Hitch Hike,’ ‘Dancing in the
Street,’ ‘Pride and Joy,’ ‘What’s
Going On,’ ‘Let’s Get It On,’
‘Got to Give It Up,’ and ‘Sexual
Healing.’”
Allmusic said that list also
shows how the entire history
of postwar R&B can be seen
through Gaye’s career, stating
that he harnessed gospel and
cabaret to create the exuberant
uptown sound of Motown in
the early ’60s, “but he changed
with his turbulent times, pushing
pop-R&B into the realms of
soul by the end of the decade.”
As the 1970s dawned, Allmusic
said Gaye grappled with
social protest on “What’s Going
On”, the 1971 album that found
the singer/songwriter charting
his own “idiosyncratic course.”
From that point, Allmusic
said Gaye delved into funk,
blaxploitation and disco, “eventually
settling into the smooth
environs of quiet storm.
“Throughout this period,
Gaye battled personal demons,
often creating powerful art
through his struggles, but they
caught up with him tragically
in 1984, when he was murdered
by his father,” it said.
“Gaye’s legacy resonated over
the decades – he was a touchstone
for soul and pop music
that was either sensual or political
– but his early death leaves
hanging the question of what
he could’ve achieved if he were
alive,” Allmusic said. “During
his two decades as a recording
artist, he already accomplished
more than most artists do in a
lifetime.”
It said Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr.
was born on April 2, 1939, in
Washington, D.C., the second
child of the Rev. Marvin Gay
and Alberta Gay.
A minister in the House of
God, Allmusic said Rev. Marvin
Gay ran a strict household, and
his son – who would add an “e”
to his surname when he signed
to Motown/Tamla, partially in
tribute to his idol Sam Cooke –
sought refuge in music.
acoustic guitar, wailing clarinet
and Chvostek’s multitracked
Andrews Sisters-style choral
backing make for ultra-bouncy
instrumental textures that play
lightly off the song’s somewhat
weightier lyrical content,”
Byram said.
“‘String of Pearls’ is about
getting through difficult
things, defiantly transforming
them and coming out on top,”
said Chvostek (chuh-VOSS-tek).
“It’s a pep talk to a self that’s
struggling through difficulty, a
reminder that the struggle can
make beauty, too.”
Byram said other songs
reveal fascinating connections
between the disparate musical
genres Chvostek churns
together in her search for a new
sonic space, “with her superflexible
vocal cords navigating
the fragrant musical ether so
naturally you might be unsure
what exactly it is you’re hearing
–– though that shouldn’t
matter.
“The easy-shuffling vibe of
‘Cannabin’ features tubas and
banjos that reside comfortably
in the American jazz and pop
of the ‘20s and ‘30s, with the
shadow of Bix Beiderbecke hovering
nearby,” she said.
In sharp contrast are the
dramatic vistas of the album’s
string-laden first single, “Wall,”
Byram said.
Chvostek credited her Uruguayan
life partner Ximena
Griscti’s love of Dadaism and
punk rock with bringing out
the best in what Chvostek calls
her “scribbly box of ideas.”
Griscti’s collages are seen in
the “String of Pearls” artwork,
and the video for “Belleville
Rendez-vous” is based around
ideas that Griscti developed to
visually support the themes of
the album as they emerged.
Chvostek also credited producer
Rosa with helping her
bridge the subtle but substantial
cultural minefields that
international musical collaborations
often have to negotiate.
“From the first time I went
to Uruguay,” she said, “I could
recognize the Eastern European
sounds within the tango,
like the way the violin moves
and the way the bandoneon is
so expressive, all these things.
“I come from a songwriting
tradition that’s very, like, let’s
celebrate things, and if we’re
moving through difficulty, wrap
it up with a tidy bow at the end,
and it resolves,” Chvostek said.
“Fernando helped deepen my
understanding of tango, however,
emphasizing that tango
is gritty and dirty and full of
pathos and unresolved anxiety.
It’s about complex emotions,
about people having room to
complain about how hard life
is, and expressing it.”
Born and raised in Toronto,
Canada, Byram said Chvostek
was immersed in Montreal’s
eclectic arts scene in the 1990s
and early 2000s, performing
regularly at Le Boudoir, a queer,
feminist 1920s-inspired cabaret
series, and self-releasing four
full-length albums between
1997 and 2003.
In 2004, Byram said Chvostek
joined The Wailin’ Jennys and
wrote four songs on the band’s
Firecracker album, which won
multiple awards including the
North American Folk Alliance
Award for “Best Contemporary
Album” in 2007.
After departing from the
Jennys, she released the album
“Resilience” (2008), produced
by GRAMMY and Academy
Award nominee Roma Baran
(Laurie Anderson) and Vivian
Stoll; “Rise” (2012); and “Be the
Media” (2015).
“Rise” was nominated for a
JUNO Award in the Roots and
Traditional Album of the Year
category, and both “Rise” and
“Resilience” were nominated
for Contemporary Album of
the Year at the Canadian Folk
Music Awards.
Continued from Page 21
Continued from Page 21
Matthew Sean Allen and James
Steed, who also worked on ‘Up’
by Cardi B,” she added.
Freiseis said the track is
creating hype leading up to
the drop of Thomas’s EP,
“Hopeless Romantic,” later
this summer.
Thomas released the song,
“Hopeless Romantic,” in
August 2020 and even made
a remix version with British-
Jamaican dancehall artiste
Stylo G.
Freiseis said Thomas is
one of several Nigerian artists
— such as Burna Boy,
Wizkid, Fireboy DML, Davido,
Patoranking and Prettyboy
D-O — making a name for
themselves on the international
music scene.
Shortly after his album
debut, Thomas’s single “Ready
Or Not”, reached number 1 on
the Soundcity Nigeria’s Top
10 Chart.
Prior to launching his
solo career, Freiseis said he
performed with the musical
group, Loud On Sound (LOS).
Before that, she said he
experimented with various
genres “and has always had an
aptitude for the arts.”
Continued from Page 21
Singer Annabelle Chvostek. Ximena Griscti
Tomi Thomas drops ‘Again’ Life, career of Marvin Gaye
Nigerian singer, Tomi Thomas. TSE Thompson S Ekong