| Nakia & His Southern Cousins |
| Written by Dante Dominick | |
 NAKIA & HIS SOUTHERN COUSINSWater to Wine KiaChia Productions (Release Date: 4/7/09) In turning water to wine, Jesus took what is already a valuable, nourishing resource and transformed it to something—while maybe not as necessary—something better. Let’s just run with that allegory and say that’s pretty much what Nakia does on his so-named debut. In this case, southern rock will stand in for the water. Necessary for life? Why not. But Nakia & His Southern Cousins transform a southern rock base into a meritage of gospel-tinged soul. Vintage soul. The truth is Nakia has uncorked a blend (enough already with the wine puns) that has been missing from much of today’s soul music, which often relies as heavily on funk as soul. Nakia (pronounced nuh-kee-yah) eschews this easy trap. You will never find a comparison to James Brown. You will find Otis Redding, Al Green, Little Feat, or the Allman Brothers. Starting with the Big O, a standout track on Water to Wine is “On the Bus,” complete with a brisk, by-the-dock feeling, in part due to Nakia’s breezy whistling. The gospel choir background vocals—compliments of the Fresh Up Girls (Karla Manzur and Jessie England), who shine throughout—augment the southern rock rhythm, completing the trinity of musical influences that makes Water to Wine a great listen from start to finish. “World of Love” follows with an Eric Clapton guitar sound, clearly influenced by Derek & The Dominos, progressing as a blend between “Bell Bottom Blues” and their version of “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out.” Al Green moments are abundant, but none more so than the dead-on falsetto squeak of “Outta My Head.” On “Elizabeth Lee,” Nakia growls and gristles like a more forgotten southern force, Ronnie Hawkins. “There Goes the Neighborhood”—one of five tracks penned by noted Austin songwriter Michael Fracasso—sounds at first like an oddball, with an intro reminiscent of “Tangled Up In Blue,” but comes around as another high point, mostly due to the message that just because someone is different than you, doesn’t mean they aren’t good people. (Fitting for the song that doesn’t sound like the rest, no?) To this point, we’ve only danced around the most important point to take home: Nakia has pipes. But it’s not just his honey-sweetened, southern-fried batter that tastes so delicious to the ears. His delivery and, for lack of a better term, charm accent each song the way few singers can reach. Actually, charm is a great term. Much like the intangible quality that makes a person great company, Nakia possesses the musical version of that quality by the barrel full. |