Sinkane
Gettin' Weird (Alive at Spacebomb Studios)
Stepping into Spacebomb’s Richmond studio and working with their team of instrumentalists and producers is a license to get a little weird. Sinkane’s Ahmed Gallab takes full advantage of the opportunity on the latest in the Alive at Spacebomb Studios series—the fourth in the series, following albums by Natalie Prass, Sleepwalkers, and the duo of Fruit Bats & Vetiver. Following his album Dépaysé (City Slang) from earlier this year, which the Sudanese-American musician described as “the story of an immigrant’s journey of self-discovery in the Trump era,” Gettin’ Weird takes five songs from that album and one from 2014’s Mean Love (“How We Be”) and reimagines, rearranges, and finds new meanings with the help of Spacebomb House Band: producers Cameron Ralston and Pinson Chanselle, Matthew E. White as executive producer, and multi-instrumentalist and arranger Trey Pollard. Despite – or perhaps because of – the difficult times we find ourselves in, the themes throughout these six songs revolve around love, inclusion, and finding oneself. On “Ya Sudan,” Sinkane sings about the duality of growing up in two countries in a silky falsetto traded in for the assertive baritone of the original version. The pair of “Everybody” and “Everyone” become hazy meditations that address the terrible current events of the world and defy the idea that a homogenous world is a better one. And on “The Searching,” which “probably means more to me than most of the songs in my catalogue,” he offers a powerful alternative to the original. “I’ve always been confused about my identity,” he says. “But in the last two years I have found my peace with it. That acceptance yielded the creation of this song. It’s the most emotional and honest song that I’ve ever written.”
Listen
SB033
01. Everyone
02. How We Be
03. Ya Sudan
04. Mango
05. The Searching
06. Everybody
Digital
Release date: October 25, 2019
Limited edition vinyl – "1956" colorway, "1970" colorway, standard black
Release date: February 7, 2020
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“Mango” and “Ya Sudan” composed by Ahmed Abdullahi Gallab
"How We Be" composed by A. Gallab, Greg Lofaro, Jason Trammell
"The Searching" composed by A. Gallab, G. Lofaro, Elenna Canlas, Jonathan Lam
"Everyone" composed by A. Gallab, G. Lofaro, E. Canlas
"Everybody" composed by A. Gallab, J. Lam, G. Lofaro
Produced by Cameron Ralston & Pinson Chanselle
Executive Producer: Matthew E. White
Recorded by Cameron Ralston, Pinson Chanselle and Adrian Olsen at Spacebomb Studio
Mixed by Adrian Olsen at Montrose Studio
Mastered by Al Jones at Laminal Audio
String Arrangements by Trey Pollard
Ahmed Gallab: lead vocals, background vocals
Pinson Chanselle: Drum machines, drum machine programming, sampler, synthesizers, percussion, shakers, bells, claps
Cameron Ralston: Drum machines, drum machine programming, synthesizers, sampler, synth bass, electric bass, electric guitar, percussion, shakers, bells, claps
Daniel Clarke: piano, keyboards, synthesizers, clavinet, synth bass
Benny Ralston: synthesizer
Spacebomb House Choir on “Everybody”: Jesse Medaries, Travis Robertson, Ben Baldwin, Annie Horvath, Brooks Daughtrey, Dean Christesen, Ahmed Gallab, Pinson Chanselle, Cameron Ralston, Matthew E. White
Joseph Clarke: background vocals
Angela Crawford: background vocals
Noon Abuelrish: Zaghroota on “Ya Sudan”
violins: Ellen Riccio, Anna Bishop, Stacy Matthews, Treesa Gold
violas: Kim Ryan, HyoJoo Uh
celli: Steph Barrett, Jason McComb
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