Osunlade – Peacock
Incorporating elements of jazz, soulful house, electronica and word music, Peacock is a beautiful and diverse musical homage to the Yoruba spirit Ochun.
Hailing from St. Louis Missouri, a place known for pioneering jazz and blues, Osunlade is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, producer and DJ: a pioneering artist in the truest sense of the word. Osunlade is an artist who personifies art, with his unique, idiosyncratic music inspired by and channelled directly from his rich and varied existence.
An ordained priest of the Yoruba Ifa religion – which incorporates a complex set of beliefs based around of songs, histories, stories and other cultural concepts that make up the Yoruba society – spirituality informs much of Osunlade’s creative output, and this latest project is no exception.
Recorded in homage to the orisha Ochun – a Yoruba spirit who reigns over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy – Peacock is an album about relationships, the heart, acceptance, vulnerability and change.
With the exception of the album’s two electronic explorations, the album is fully realized in classic analogue soul funk with Osunlade taking the reins on the vocals and the vast majority of the instrumentation. Deeply personal in its creation yet exploring themes that are familiar to us all, this eight song LP takes us back to the beauty and simplicity of the act of listening, and emotions it can stir within us.
Peacock is out 19 October 2014 (CD and digital) on Yoruba Records
