Album: Fatherland
Artist: Kele Okereke
Release Date: October 6, 2017
Genre: Folk
Length: 0:45:01
Label: BMG
Producer: Justin Harris
Under-rated, under-appreciated, but definitely not under-talented...
Frontman of Bloc Party, Kele Okereke with his third solo album. A completely different feel from his prior albums and Bloc Party, Kele gives a more intimate look into his world with Fatherland.
The muted trumpet cries in the song "Overture" slowly transport the listener into a harmonious world where Kele is the leader. Once there, the first song, "Streets Been Talkin'", showcases his emotional, yet timid lyrics. The guitar is constantly playing behind Kele, and then it goes right into the dynamic rhythmic percussion sound that keeps the song moving. Combine this with a powerful chorus where Kele, while not technically the greatest singer in the world, demonstrates his unique style. There are faint sounds in the background, such as the orchestral string section, playing a stunning, dreary part during the verses, quickly transitioning to a jumpy feel during the chorus circulated with the drone of the horns, gives off a completely different feel fans of Bloc Party or Kele aren't used to.
The third track, "You Keep on Whispering His Name" continues to bless the listener with sounds that contribute to a natural ability to bring folk to a more energetic realm, while still keeping the overall "folky" feel. While these two songs kept to the more folky style, the following song "Capers", surprises the listener with an almost ragtime sound from the piano, added onto the indie-folk feel from earlier.
Two songs in Fatherland, "Grounds for Resentment" & "Versions of Us", feature a guest singer on a verse which adds so much to the entire album. Even though Kele's voice is amazing, it's always nice to hear the contrast of other voices against the lead -- Olly Alexander in "Grounds for Resentment" and Corinne Bailey Rae in "Versions of Us" accomplishes that contrast perfectly. Mixing male and female vocals together is a tough task for any producer due to the way each gender sings, but Justin Harris was able to make each voice stand out without making them overpower each other.
Along with this seamless mixing of the vocals, Justin Harris mixes every instrument elegantly with Kele's voice. The guitar, the piano in "Capers", the strings in "Yemaya", the sleigh bells in "Portrait", the list could go on. Each instrument is gracefully dropped into a fantastic masterpiece of work from Kele and superbly brings out the world Kele was trying to build.
The way Kele sings gives the entire album the feel it needs. With songs that are slower, there is no way to hide behind large productions of tracks. Kele so naturally adds in his vocal instrument by his unique style of enunciating the words; each lyric is stylistically different from the last.
The lyrics Kele sings give the listener a more personable look into his life as well as add that extra instrument feel. As a gay man of Nigerian heritage, the lyrics all have themes of struggles about his life, love, and his new-found love of being a father, hence the title: Fatherland. Each song gives the listener the ability to dive deeper into his life as he graciously welcomes them with open arms.
A relatively unknown album, Fatherland may be one of the most underrated albums of the 2010's. It's hard to achieve an album where it is undoubtedly the artist, but each song is completely different from the last, while still able to keep the listener entertained. The cleanliness in production, the overall more reserved feel of the album, while giving the most personal lyrics of his life gives Fatherland a unique but successful emotion while listening. This album is a fantastic album to listen to whenever you are feeling tense, especially during these unique times, which makes this album more calming of an experience. Kele brings the listener to a world where he knows after 45 minutes he will be able to ease the mind, forget the troubles of the world and stay calm. I cannot recommend Fatherland enough...
Favorite Songs: "Capers", "Grounds for Resentment", "Streets Been Talkin'"
Least Favorite Songs: "Overture" (yes, it is a cop-out, but there aren't any bad songs and this is the only one that could be put here as it's just an intro)
Production Quality:
Mix = 10/10
Innovation = 8/10
Songwriting Quality:
Arrangement = 10/10
Lyricism = 9.5/10
Instrumentation Quality:
Vocal Timbre = 9/10
Instrumental Timbre = 10/10
Group Chemistry = 9/10
Overall Likability:
My Personal Rating = 10/10
Overall Rating: 9.55/10
Any confusion on how the rating is weighted/calculated, please look at my "About" page.
Remember this is all my opinion! Let me know if you agree, disagree or have any comments!