Who is Joshua Idehen? Well, he was a founding member of bands, Benin City and Calabashed. He’s collaborated with the jazz act, Sons Of Kemet and jazz punk band, The Comet Is Coming, LA maestro Daedelus, electronic duo LV, and jazz acoustic artist Scrimshire amongst others. Why do you need this information? Simply because Joshua has just released a great new EP ‘Mum Does The Washing’.
The title track “Mum Does The Washing” has some incredibly clever lyrics that refer to Mum doing the washing but then tying it back via some great analogous thinking to everything from capitalism to feudalism via religion, fascism, feminism, and surrealism. My particular favourite line is male feminism: “That one time I did the washing I told everybody I did the washing. I blogged about it, bragged about it, took a selfie, Insta story. Went on TV, won an Oscar. Went on Fortnite, did a dance. I am an ally. Hashtag me too.” This was the single that drew me to the EP.
The second track, “Could Be Forever” is a beautiful song set against a flowing and comforting jazz dance beat with some great backing vocals that enhance the track perfectly. I feel that this song is about respect and caring, particularly for the old. It also has some pertinent and subtle yet strong anti-racist messages. The lyrics highlight Idehen’s huge talent as a poet.
“Tactics For Survival” is up next and it has a bass line that might have fitted perfectly well on Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On?” album. It draws on the myriad of things that get us down and leave us broken and dispirited and how we handle them, how we cope with life. For me, it sends a powerful message to understand that other people experience the world differently to you and we all cope in so many different ways? What are your tactics for survival? Great music is one of my tactics and the music of Joshua Idehen has got me through some hard days this week.
The EP closes with a cover of the Talking Heads classic “Once In A Lifetime” with Joshua’s poetic, passionate, thespian-style delivery supported with some ethereal and sublime gospel tones provided by the Social Singing Choir. Without a doubt one of the best cover versions I have heard in ages. This EP is simply perfect, I have played it a few times and I can’t see myself ever tiring of it.
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