Get out your atlas & start connecting the dots, it’s about to get tricky….
Nigerian-born, London/Paris-bred, and Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter, Keziah Jones, has just released a new project with Detroit-born, LA-based producer/drummer, Karriem Riggins. The album’s entitled Nigerian Wood (no “pause” needed, pervs – its a play on the Beatles classic, “Norwegian Wood”) and was released earlier this month on the French label, Because.

Keziah first came on my radar in 2005 with his last album, Black Orpheus. Whereas Orpheus was a sonic homage to the legendary Fela Kuti and Yoruba culture told through lyrics based in Greek mythology & Marcel Camus’ 1959 classic movie of the same name – three years later, Keziah re-emerges with a much more focused and (for better or worse) stripped-down sound for his latest work.

After years of producing stand-out tracks for artists such as Erykah Badu, J Dilla, Common and The Roots, and drumming for Kanye West and jazz greats Oscar Peterson and Ray Brown, this is the first time (to my knowledge) Karriem Riggins has produced a full album. For NW, Karriem seemingly takes off his typical beatmaker hat and instead focuses more on playing the background. And although his drumming mainly stays in the pocket, he still manages to add a nice, jazz-flourished touch to Keziah’s unique blend of Afro-folk & soul, or as Keziah brands it, “bluefunk.”

Below you can check out two of my personal favorites from the album: