Release Date: Feb 2, 2010
Genre(s): Pop, R&B, Soul
Record label: Decon Records
Music Critic Score
How the Music Critic Score works
Pride, but no prejudice This 28-year-old’s U.S. debut could hardly be more appropriately titled. Concrete Jungle captures Nneka’s steely resolve and desire to flourish in an unforgiving world. The album is both affirmative and entertaining, addressing themes of political upheaval, reconciliation and the ignorance that so often comes with privilege.
Much of the ink thus far spilled on Nneka thoroughly covers her Nigerian-German ethnic split, with all the supposedly dispositive clichés that one attaches to the torn between two worlds. This biographic thumbnail seems more generically presumptive than culled from anything present in the music. In fact, Nneka seems like the poster child for the post-national play of interconnected pop culture.
Nigerian-born Nneka Egbuna is a global musician whose experience in the streets of Africa and the clubs of Northern Europe positions her as an artist on par with Sri Lanka's M. I. A.