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Written by Rebecca Carter
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Tuesday, 30 January 2007 |
Tonic, New York, NY
January 4, 2007
If described as “hip-hop soul,” Nomi’s sound and style is much more complex than that. The hip hop is there, and the soul is definitely there but you’d have to also work folk, blues and ambient in there as well… and even then it still feels like there’s an adjective or two missing. New York’s Tonic seems to be the spot for those who don’t easily fit genres and molds and the perfect place for Nomi and her band to showcase her style.
Preceding Nomi’s set was Bunny Rabbit and DJ Black Cracker, a hip-hop duo who bordered on the creepily entertaining. With beats combined with samples as epic as any Iron Maiden intro and lyrics like “everybody get a gun, shooting dolphins is real fun,” Bunny Rabbit’s set was a trip to say the least. As Nomi took the stage you could almost hear a British voice-over saying, “and now for something completely different.”
Backed by a full band which included guitarist Ben Tyree, bassist Ryan Ball, cellist Marlan Barry and drummer Todd Cohen, Nomi began her set with a dark, ambient vibe. Opening with “Gun In Your Drawer” and “Blessed Mother” the tone was reminiscent of Portishead with the bite of PJ Harvey. By the third song, “Lonely Love Affair,” the crowd which had previously been buzzing with the ironic apathy of Bunny Rabbit’s set was now locked into Nomi’s deeply personal lyrics, which she occasionally described between songs and at times almost seemed shy in expressing.
She then moved in a more hip-hop direction with “Borough Gypsy,” “Hustler” and “Life or C.R.E.A.M.,” which featured Brooklyn-based artist and producer LoDeck. With much more of an old school feel focused on lyrics and word play, and a band supplying the music, Nomi comes across as much more organic then one might initially think of when hip-hop is mentioned.
The end of Nomi’s set may have seemed like a contrast to the start, but the common thread between each genre that she touched upon was the soul and emotion which always came across strong no matter which way she chose to express them.
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