25 Jul 2008
Zaki Ibrahim Magazine Reviews
Now Magazine Review Rating: NNNN By Benjamin Boles Lumping her in with the rest of the neo-soul and conscious R&B movement does Zaki Ibrahim a disservice. The Toronto-based singer has a sound that incorporates many more influences and ideas than the legions of Badu wannabes. On this EP, the beats are decidedly earthy and organic while still embodying a certain futuristic soul vision. Ibrahim pulls rhythms from her African roots as well as deep house and broken beat, along with the R&B grooves she’ll need to break through stateside. This is genuinely new soul music, and as such it may have a hard time fitting in on radio in North America until she blows up in Europe. There are also none of the 60s references needed to tie her into Winehouse-mania, but hopefully that juggernaut has hit its saturation point and listeners are ready for a retreat from retro and a return to the 21st century. Okayplayer.com Review By Allison Isaac The thing about truth is, it exists whether you believe it or not - it doesn’t need your trust, it doesn’t ask for your confidence. So if I told you about a spirit gifted enough to warm the hearts of Toronto’s coolest residents and you didn’t buy it, it would be of little consequence. Truth requires no witness. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re the type to ridicule talk of transcending souls reincarnating in contemporary musicians. Zaki Ibrahim’s second EP, Eclectica (Episodes in Purple) , displays the mature taste and talent of someone who must have been here before. The clever lyricss wrapped around fresh beats makes it difficult to believe that this much talent was cultivated in only 20-some years. Apparently not one for boxes, Ibrahim’s latest is exactly what you’d imagine – a well-rounded, unclassifiable, genre-defying mix of innovative music. Somehow, Ibrahim manages to move from organic to electronic seamlessly in only a handful of tracks. This is an artist daring enough to erase boundaries that never should have existed. Ibrahim reveals her heart of an emcee on “You Choose” and the soul of a jazz musician throughout. Her textured voice sings in deep tones, resonating like an ancient mantra, soothing listeners with grounded optimism. “Love-Like” provokes images of a lounge cloudy with incense smoke and candles – like a coffee house but cooler, a hip hop show but smoother. And then there’s “Connected” and “Grow Again” revisited from the last EP. This is grown folks’ music for her generation. If you stepped out on faith, you might discover what others already have; Eclectica could be your funky introduction of how nice Ibrahim is. But really, talent, like truth, couldn’t care less.
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