skintalk
Every once in a while I rediscover an album in my collection that has somehow sank into the iTunes abyss, only to surface with the flick of the random switch. Martha Redbone’s “Skintalk” is one such album that I have just recently fallen in love with again.
I first heard “Future Street”, a track from the album on a podcast. It’s a mid-tempo groove that features Martha’s smooth vocals and the kind of sounds that I love to listen to when I’m getting ready for the day. The hook “Hey meet me, down on future street. And maybe by then I’ll know about the plans for you and me” grabbed me at the first listen, and I bought the album unheard.
When it finished download, I starting the album from the beginning. “Hard Livin’”, the opening track, knocked me over the head with her powerful voice. There are also some distinctly Native American harmonies that I clocked off the bat. I knew nothing about her, only to find out later in the album (and on the internets) that she is Shawnee and Choktaw in addition to being Black. Yay for another half-breed (like me!).
The album is decidedly R&B, with splashes of rock and funk here and there. All I can say is there is one hell of a band behind her on this album because the color of the music is as broad as it is big, much like her voice. She has power in all the right places and a soft touch where necessary. In place of thirds and fifths in many of the vocal harmonies, I hear some dissonant layers which scream Native American.
The melding of musical flavors, I suspect much like her upbringing in different cultures, is what draws me back to this album again and again. It’s really damn good music and as I’ve gotten to know the album, I’ve come to appreciate the nuances of it more and more. “Medicine Man” is one of my favorites, with her voice in the lower registers until the song begins to heat up and she starts hollering a bit near the end, while a layer of an actual chanting medicine man is added. It still raises the hair on my arms when I listen.
Perhaps the spotlight track on this album is “Children of Love”. Lyrically, it’s a beautiful call to humanity to be as human as possible. Its rolling jazzy groove reminds me of lots of familiar ambient music that I heard when I was younger. Floating 70’s-like harmonies (almost Brasil 66 Sergio Mendes-ish dissonance, LOVE it) and a very tasty hook kept it on repeat until I knew the words. There’s even a spoken word section that surprisingly works.
Happily, Martha has been keeping me company on the train, at my desk, and during my morning routine.