We belong

On his new album, Ahmed Gallab, the Sudanese-born, New York-based multi-instrumentalist behind Sinkane, embodies the sense of deep pain and great joy that fuels the sound of Black liberation. From the first intellectuals to the the first civil rights songs, the uplifting power of gospel to the cathartic energy of funk, black music resonates with this profound duality, serving as a fundamental tool of resistance—a loud, proud refusal to conform to the expectations of a world that tries to repress. On album/we-belong” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://sinkane.bandcamp.com/album/we-belong"}” href=”https://sinkane.bandcamp.com/album/we-belong” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>We belong, Sinkane maintains this legacy, smashing limitations with revolutionary exuberance. That so many civil rights anthems remain as relevant today as they were in the 1960s could be cause for sadness, but Gallab chooses to celebrate the beauty in the struggle—above all, the role of community and camaraderie in promoting it.

All of Sinkane's albums exude positivity, starting with his sunny, breezy grooves Mars (2012) and Average Love (2014), which drew on Sudanese pop, 70s funk and electronica to shape the borderless sound that has come to define Sinkane. Gulab focused more Life & Life (2017), dealing more deeply with issues that plague the world around him. in 2019 album/de-payse” class=”external-link” data-event-click=”{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://sinkane.bandcamp.com/album/de-payse"}” href=”https://sinkane.bandcamp.com/album/de-payse” rel=”noopener” target=”_blank”>Dépaysé, explored his identity and the complexities of growing up as an “outsider,” while echoing messages of hope and unity. Thematically, therefore, We belong it's not a big departure. Yet it feels grounded in a way that Sinkane's previous albums haven't, the joy of being less rooftop party, more radical and transformative. Opener “Come Together” lays out the core theme, urging those who feel like they don't belong to do exactly as the title suggests. “Greater than the sum of the parts/There's a better life,” Gallab belts over a flurry of booming synths as the word “Africa” ​​rings out in a robotic pattern, transforming the track into a George Clinton-esque pan-Africanism. anthem.

We belong is Sinkane's most collaborative album to date, welcoming luminaries such as soul singer Bilal and the late jazz multi-instrumentalist Casey Benjamin. It's particularly based on “a certain kind of black community music” centered around New York, Gallab said in a statement. Many of the featured singers, such as Ifedayo Gatling (from Harlem Gospel Travelers), True Osborneand STOUT, have roots in the gospel. The title track, co-written by Gallab and Amanda Keery, channels the transcendent joy of black church music through call-and-response vocals and a compelling performance by STOUT. Together, they offer P-funk extravagance, a call for freedom and some words borrowed from Alexander Pope: “Be yourself, free your mind/To err is human/To forgive is divine.”