Eccodek - Voices Have Eyes Review
by Erika Szabo
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The Canadian producer Andrew McPherson, engineer and singer/songwriter for global music juggernaut, Eccodek, provides an inviting and intriguing experience through his latest album, Voices Have Eyes. Spanning from 2003's widely acclaimed More Africa in Us, his new album continues to explore lounge beats, twanging folk and dirty jazz like no other world dub album ever created. Featuring various musicians from Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, India, Turkey and Fiji, Voices Have Eyes is both expansive and intimate. Among these talented musicians is the sultry Indo-Canadian vocalist Kiran Ahluwalia, the raw and resonating Fijian vocalist Akuila Qumi, and Mali's kora virtuoso Mansa Sissoko. Sharp and sophisticated, Voices Have Eyes is bound to turn heads and hips. First hearing this album is like listening to music for the first time. Ranging from the ambient, otherworldly "Spacehall Dub" to the affectionate and jazzy "Words With the Griot", this album provides a different experience each and every time, and the way Indo-Canadian artist, Kiran Ahluwalia, nestles her seductive vocals inside lounge beats in "Heart's Desire Dub (edit)" remains unmatched. "Fan the Flames Dub" is a flirty club inspired song, full of gleeful cries from the Savusavu Choir. While "Set Sweet No Worries" exposes Akuila Qumi's soothing bass, and combines it with chill-out beats reminiscent of works by Air and Thievery Corporation. Though Voices Have Eyes provides a catchy and delightful look into world music, songs like "Juju In Those Strings (ambient mix) lacks ingenuity from its original counterpart. Not to say that it and the other ambient mixes are bad, they're just unneeded in this already involving album. It's safe to say that this genre-defying album's beat blasting rhythms, expansive sound and plucky vocals is proof enough that sound is as visual as it is audible. Rich, raw and real, Voices Have Eyes feels anything but stagnant. Considering all the work put into this multi-ethnic masterpiece, eccodek proves to be a real powerhouse in today's global music scene. Fans of this genre will be pleasantly surprised by this mesmerizing concoction of electronica and global pizzazz. Track Listing 1. Spacehall Dub 2. Heart's Desire Dub (edit) 3. Words With the Griot 4. Juju in Those Strings 5. Bula Akuila 6. Voices Have Eyes 7. Fan the Flames Dub 8. Set Sweet No Worries 9. Hearts Desire Dub (fully) 10. Juju in Those Strings (GeoRemix for National Geographic) 11. Wosoubour (Vieux Farka Toure-eccodek remix) 12. Spacehall Dub (ambient remix) 13. Juju in Those Strings (ambient remix) 14. Voices Have Eyes (ambient remix)
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