Album of the Day — April 20
Tamar-kali — Geechee Goddess Hardcore Warrior Soul
20.4.2020
Tamar-kali
Geechee Goddess Hardcore Warrior Soul
2003
Ok, technically this is an EP. But I couldn’t find her 2010 album Black Bottom on Spotify and to keep up the playlist aspect, I went with the ep.
I could’ve selected songs from Mudbound, the 2017 movie Mudbound, but I’m staying away from soundtracks and musicals.
ANYWAY, Tamar-kali is a Brooklyn born and bred artist through and through. And you can hear it in the music. It is at times often straight-up rock and at times a little spacey and oftentimes, both.
When I listen to this ep, I’m reminded of Jeff Buckley. It’s got that kind of vibe and sound to it. Tamar-kali’s vocals owe as much to Betty Mabry as Grace Jones with a good dash of PJ Harvey and Patti Smith.
So, if you like those sorts of things…in other words, she rocks…hard. But it’s not just rock and roll…this isn’t three chords and the truth type of rock. It’s different.
While the songs may sound a little picaresque, don’t be fooled. Like the single “Boot”, which thematically deals with a young black girl who lacks awareness of her beauty making her vulnerable to sexual exploitation.
Tamar-kali is a musical polymath and rock and roll isn’t her only thing. IN 2018 she created an art project called Demon Fruit Blues, which is about “the journey of misogyny spanning from the Garden of Eden to the present while also including biblical elements as well as female African deities and feminist theory.”
She’s also part of something called Psychochamber Ensemble of Strings. I’ve got a rough idea of what that may sound like.
And then there are the soundtracks she scored:
- Mudbound (World Soundtrack Award for Discovery of the Year)
- Bessie (songs)
- Come Sunday
- The Lie
If you’re not that familiar with the work of Tamar-kali, you will be. She’s a creative force to be reckoned with.
