Artist: Natty
Title: Man Like I
Label: Atlantic
Genre: Alternative
Bitrate: 177kbit av.
Time: 00:18:37
Size: 24.98 mb
Rip Date: 2008-05-21
Str Date: 2008-07-07
1. Cold Town 3:28
2. July 3:18
3. Coloured Souls 5:13
4. Badman 3:16
5. Stoned On You 3:22
Release Notes:
With a mother from Lesotho, the tiny kingdom that sits
completely within the borders of South Africa, and an English
father of Italian descent, Natty's intelligent words on racial
issues have already led to involvement with Love Music Hate
Racism. The campaigning organisation featured his song `If I'
alongside Bloc Party, Babyshambles and The Enemy on a
compilation given away with the NME in October 2007. The folky
ballad cheekily addresses the preconceptions of the typical
indie fan: `So I'll sing you this song out my pigeonhole/But
you'll still probably call me reggae soul/And I'll be
wondering is it my dreadlocks and skin tone/So I sing, how do
I break the mould?'
Obvious Bob Marley comparisons seem less relevant when you
learn that Natty featured samples of Simon And Garfunkel,
Neil Young and Nas on the mixtape that became his early calling
card, covered Afrorock hotshots Vampire Weekend during this
February's iTunes Live concerts, and has booked indie acts
such as Mr Hudson & The Library and Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly.
at his successful Kentish Town club night Vibes And Pressure.
Tours supporting Hard-Fi, Kate Nash and Adele have endeared him
further to fans with broader tastes to match his own. `I grew
up listening to a lot of reggae, but also African music,
Pink Floyd, Dylan, Neil Young and a whole heap of Motown.'
The nickname admittedly has a Marley connection.
As a 13-year-old he left a copy of Marley's 1974 album Natty Dread
on a sunny windowsill at home, causing the vinyl to warp and
sustaining much abuse from his mother in front of his delighted
friends. His pals kept his embarrassment simmering by calling him
Natty, and when he `locksed up' at 16 the moniker stuck still
stronger. `Locks aren't just Rastafarian, they're African. They
came about for me after a period of being bad, when it was time
to start saying no to a few things. It's a spiritual thing, and
it's about reminding myself where I come from.' If he has a reggae
idol, it's mad genius Lee `Scratch' Perry.` I supported him
once at the Jazz Cafe and thought, where do I go from here? He
travelled the same road I did, going from producer to
performer.'
For Natty is no newcomer, having worked in the music industry
since finishing school and blagging his way into a job at premier
league recording studio Sphere in Battersea. Ditching the guitar
he learned to play at 10, for teenage years spent creating hip hop
beats for rapping mates, his bedroom mastery of music production
software Cubase gave him the confidence to earn a tryout, by
convincing his potential employers he was a fully fledged studio
engineer. `Everyone passed through that place over four years, from
Duran Duran to Mos Def,' he says. `I ended up spending two
months recording Razorlight's first album in Cornwall. That
guy's got a reputation but he's one of the smartest dudes I
know.'
Natty only picked up his guitar again as he turned 18,
beginning to write his own songs `as a hobby'. Craig Dodds, a
producer Natty worked with at Sphere heard his early demos and
encouraged him to take things further. The two ended up
working together and co-producing Natty's debut album with
Jonny Dollar (Massive Attack). By day he was engineering for
some of the biggest names in the indie music scene and by
night this gave him the inspiration to nurture his own
developing talent. The devout following from his open mic
sessions captivated the well deserved attention from many
labels, including Atlantic Records who had the same vision as
Natty and supported his creativity. `I wanted to start a vibe,
a movement, and bring on a few musicians who should be better
known. I wasn't interested in all these record companies
saying, 'We're gonna turn you into a star'. That's for the
people to decide.'
A smart, thoughtful singer with integrity and a diverse sound
ready for summer and beyond with or without assistance, it
shouldn't take too long for the people to decide that Natty
is a true star indeed.