The Cherry Thing
The Cherry Thing | |
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Studio album by Neneh Cherry and The Thing | |
Released | 19 June 2012 |
Recorded | 2011 |
Studio |
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Genre | Jazz |
Length | 50:59 |
Label | Smalltown Supersound |
Producer |
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Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 77/100[1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Chicago Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Down Beat | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Financial Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Guardian | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Cherry Thing is an album by vocalist Neneh Cherry and jazz trio The Thing, consisting of saxophonist Mats Gustafsson, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. It was recorded in 2011 and released the following year by Smalltown Supersound.
Background
Neneh Cherry's stepfather was free jazz trumpeter Don Cherry.[7] The trio The Thing took their name from a track on Don Cherry's 1966 album Where Is Brooklyn?[7] Cherry "began her career in the 1980s as a teen vocalist in post-punk outfits Rip Rig & Panic and Float Up CP; both melded free jazz and angular funk."[2] Conny Lindstrom, who had produced albums by The Thing, also knew Cherry and suggested that she perform with them.[8]
Recording and music
The Cherry Thing was recorded at Harder Sound Studios in London and Atlantis Studios in Stockholm.[9]
The album contains eight tracks. The two originals are "Sudden Moment" by Gustafsson and "Cashback" by Cherry.[2] The nine-minute version of Suicide's "Dream Baby Dream" "is no less ethereal than the original, but far more sinister; Cherry [...] keeps the beautiful melodic core intact, even as she becomes ever more insistent, showing her dominant authority. Her accompanists build a gorgeous wall of atmospheric tension behind her".[2] Martina Topley-Bird's "Too Tough to Die" "begins sparsely and slowly before Cherry and Gustafsson enter and begin pushing, [...] Cherry's vocal is emboldened with risk, turning the melody in on itself and ululating against the baritone horn. The rhythm sections answers with syncopated breaks and funk."[2] MF Doom's "Accordion" and the Stooges' "Dirt" "are sparse, threatening, and poignant, the former tinged with implied violence, and the latter [...] smolders with raw, dark sensuality."[2] Don Cherry's "Golden Heart" is "an otherworldly meld of Middle Eastern modes and textures and a skeletal lyric frame that displays this group's command of diverse musical languages."[2] On Ornette Coleman's "What Reason", the "nearly mournful presentation, with gorgeous jazz singing by Cherry and restrained yet adventurous soloing by Gustafsson and Håker Flaten, make the tune drip with longing."[2]
Release
The album was released on 19 June 2012.[2] It peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart.[10]
Reception
BBC reviewer John Doran stated that the recording was "one of the most enjoyable and original albums of the year".[11] John Fordham of The Guardian commented that the music "dramatically bridges the singer's avant-pop world and the flat-out sax-howling, percussion-thundering soundscape the group have been poleaxing audiences with since 2000."[6] Ben Ratliff of The New York Times wrote that the intentional contrast between Cherry's tenderness and the band's loud aggression sometimes became unbalanced in favour of the latter.[12]
Track listing
- "Cashback" (Neneh Cherry) – 5:58
- "Dream Baby Dream" (Martin Rev, Alan Vega) – 8:24
- "Too Tough to Die" (Martina Topley-Bird) – 5:13
- "Sudden Moment" (Mats Gustafsson) – 8:26
- "Accordion" (Daniel Dumile, Otis Jackson, Jr.) – 6:10
- "Golden Heart" (Don Cherry) – 4:43
- "Dirt" (David Alexander, James Osterberg, Ron Asheton, Scott Asheton) – 6:47
- "What Reason" (Ornette Coleman) – 5:18
Personnel
- Neneh Cherry – vocals
- Mats Gustafsson – baritone sax, tenor sax, electronics
- Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – double bass, electric bass, electronics
- Paal Nilssen-Love – drums, percussion
Charts
Chart (2012) | Peak position |
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Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[13] | 50 |
References
- ^ "The Cherry Thing by Neneh Cherry". Retrieved 1 October 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Jurek, Thom "Neneh Cherry / The Thing – The Cherry Thing". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Kot, Greg (1 July 2012) "Album Review: Neneh Cherry, 'The Cherry Thing'". Chicago Tribune.
- ^ Margasak, Peter (October 2012) "Neneh Cherry and The Thing – The Cherry Thing". Down Beat. p. 58.
- ^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (23 June 2012) "Neneh Cherry and The Thing: The Cherry Thing". The Financial Times.
- ^ a b Fordham, John (28 June 2012) "Neneh Cherry: The Cherry Thing – Review". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Rogers, Jude (22 May 2012). "Neneh Cherry: 'Jazz Can Be the Way You Make Love'". The Guardian.
- ^ Fusilli, Jim (20 June 2012) "Music: The Thing About Ms. Cherry". The Wall Street Journal. p. D5.
- ^ "Neneh Cherry & Thing, The (2) – The Cherry Thing". Discogs. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ "Jazz Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
- ^ Doran, John "Neneh Cherry & The Thing – The Cherry Thing Review". BBC Music. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
- ^ Ratliff, Ben (19 June 2012) "Neneh Cherry & The Thing". The New York Times. p. C5.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Neneh Cherry & The Thing – The Cherry Thing". Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
Further reading
- "A Quietus Interview Keep Those Dreams Burning Forever: Neneh Cherry Interviewed"
- v
- t
- e
- Raw Like Sushi
- Homebrew
- Man
- Blank Project
- Broken Politics
- The Versions
- The Cherry Thing
- Remixes
- "Looking Good Diving with the Wild Bunch"
- "Buffalo Stance"
- "Manchild"
- "Kisses on the Wind"
- "I've Got You Under My Skin"
- "Money Love"
- "Buddy X"
- "7 Seconds"
- "Love Can Build a Bridge"
- "Trouble Man"
- "Woman"
- "Kootchi"
- "Feel It"
- "Buddy X 99"
- "Kids with Guns"
- CirKus
- The Thing
- Rip Rig + Panic
- Mabel