In my travels yesterday, I somehow exposed myself to an unexpectedly surprising talent-- Zaki Ibrahim. She's an artist out of Toronto, Canada, though she's also spent time in Vancouver and South Africa, borders can't contain her expression. Think Santogold crossed with Sade with a touch of Nina Simone expressed with the earth-sex-momma vibe of Erykah Badu-- some serious Shakti on the mic.Like Georgia Anne Muldrow or Tiombe Lockhart, her neo-soul contempories, Ibrahim uses her voice to frame her compositions by creating a simple looping harmony which she then sings to, layering vocals in a way that works her voice as the prime 'instrument' of the song. This trick y'all, is used to devastating effect on her latest release Eclectica (Episodes In Purple), laying the vocals atop some sick, creep- into-you beats. I couldn't find a bad track on the entire release, not hard to do on an album weighin in a just over 30 minutes, but significant to me cause they are all "that" good. Hey you got ears? Hear this...Zaki Ibrahim - "Computer Girl"
