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I first came across Fantastic Negrito's music on Pandora. I heard traces of Jack White, Prince, and Muddy Waters. I was hooked. Then I found out he was from Oakland, California, where I was born. The connection seemed to go deeper. A year after buying everything I could of his, he won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues, a deserved but odd award, considering he refuses to be categorized so easily.
Last week, my wife and I saw Fantastic Negrito at a live show here in Nashville, and he blew my mind. He is not only a great live performer, but a masterful conductor of band and audience from the stage. He struts, he croons, he rocks hard, and he humbles himself. He is ironic without cynicism, wise without pridefulness, and passionate without prejudice. His show was tight, and even those around us who had never heard his stuff before were won over by the end of the night. It was one of the best shows I've seen in years.
During the show, he spoke of the title of this new album, Please Don't Be Dead. Not only does it reference an accident he survived years ago, it specifically deals with the state of our democracy. America, he explained, is like a diet. Our democracy is a great idea and ideal, and though we fall off the wagon on a regular basis, though we fail to live up to our own standards, we try and try again. He steered away from much politicizing, wisely so, and let the music and lyrics speak for themselves. This album is a great next step forward, even though The Last Days of Oakland was a masterpiece unto itself. Please Don't Be Dead doesn't let anyone get too comfortably. We can't sit around in pity parties (Transgender Biscuits) or try to blame everyone else (Bad Guy Necessity). This is a strident cry for optimism and survival in the midst of dour times and depressing news headlines. And in the midst of it all, it's a whole lot of fun.
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From the manufacturer
Cooking Vinyl
Established in 1986 by Martin Goldschmidt and Pete Lawrence, the Cooking Vinyl Group has developed a reputation as an internationally successful, artist-focused independent music company.
Home to an eclectic mix of acclaimed artists, the company’s record division roster currently includes: Nina Nesbitt, Billy Bragg, Will Young, Passenger, Swim Deep, Lissie, Fantastic Negrito, The Waterboys, Amanda Palmer, Suzanne Vega, Lewis Watson, Alison Moyet, Deap Vally and The Fratellis, amongst many others.
Cooking Vinyl has consistently been at the forefront of the digital revolution and evolution.
The Cooking Vinyl Group includes Cooking Vinyl Publishing, Motus Music, Fat Cat Records, and The Music Royalty Co. Cooking Vinyl currently has offices in London, Paris, Berlin, New York and Melbourne and an international network of partner companies that offer a global route to market for artists.
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Top reviews from the United States
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I'm so glad I found Fantastic Negrito on Tiny Desk Concerts..one of my Top 5 artists for this year..
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2018Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2018
Top reviews from other countries
ColdDeadHand
Brilliant musicianship. The mix is perfectly balanced. Honest, playful, emotional.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 31, 2020