AKUA NARU - All About Love: New Visions - 2LP - Vinyl [APR 5]

2LP - Black Vinyl.  

Akua Naru's latest feat is an album entitled, "all about love: new visions", inspired by and an ode to Black feminist icon bell hooks and her titanic classic text of the same name, in which hooks examines society and its ideals of love. To honour and take up hooks' understanding of "love as a practice of freedom", especially in these times, naru's forthcoming offering is a new vision for her love songs: recorded live by a large band ensemble supported by the highly decorated classical orchestra, Ensemble Resonanz.

Naru reimagines old hits like the people's favourite, "Poetry: How Does It Feel?" and "Seraphim", alongside deep cuts like "(Love) Right Now", "Joy", and "Runaway". An exploration of the various iterations of love, not only contained within the romantic, naru also includes new tracks that among other things celebrate the enduring power of unconditional love through the tenderness of motherhood. This album intends to provide a sonic balm to listeners. A necessary emotional-audio experience for those who understand the fortifying power of love and its urgency, especially during dark and perilous times.

With the release of her 2011 debut album, "...the journey aflame", akua naru entered the scene, a titanic force of Liberation politics on beats, a true wordsmith whose music, deeply nuanced, poetic and wise, centers the experiences of Black women through rhyme, along a sonic spectrum from Jazz to Soul. Called the "Toni Morrison of Hip Hop" by acclaimed scholar Dr. Cornel West, akua naru's journey, like her debut album, has been set aflame.

To date, she has released four albums: "...the journey aflame (2011)", "live & aflame sessions (2012)", "the miner's canary (2015)", and "the blackest joy (2018)." Her current project, entitled "all about love: new visions", a collaborative LP with her own band and the renowned string orchestra Ensemble Resonanz, is set for Spring 2024 release. Naru has worked with Tony Allen, Eric Ben?t, Angelique Kidjo, Tuneyards, Questlove, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Christian Scott, Rah Digga, Mulatu Astatke, Bernard Purdie, Cody ChesnuTT, and more. Known for electrifying performances spanning across continents, she has rocked shows in more than fifty countries across five continents with her 6-piece band. Her artistry is a testament to the legacy of soul music and the powerful, trailblazing Black woman artist tradition upon which it builds.

Tracklist: 

Side A
1. Urgency feat. Cornel West
2. (Love) Right Now (All About Love Version)
3. Joy feat. Taylor Samuels (All About Love Version)

Side B
1. Sugar (Honeyicetea) feat. Takuya Kuroda (All About Love Version)
2. Falling feat. Jakeya Limitless (All About Love Version)
3. Run Away (All About Love Version)

Side C
1. Somebody Mama
2. Surrender (Masi's Joint) feat. Tricia Rose
3. The Question feat. Edson Sean
4. Mr. Brownskin (All About Love Version)

Side D
1. Seraphim feat. Bryanna Brown (All About Love Version)
2. Poetry: How Does It Feel??? feat. Takuya Kuroda & Edson Sean (All About Love Version)
3. Affirmation feat. Panashe Chigumadzi