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The American dream is an inexhaustible subject. It is approached head-on, sideways, from behind, above and below. It is the ultimate fuel for hordes of songwriters; even when they weren’t even born in America. As is the case for J.S. Ondara. This young Kenyan, who his label calls "the link between Tracy Chapman and Michael Kiwanuka" (an easy claim but not wrong), went there to try his luck. In 2013, Ondara dropped anchor at his aunt's house in Minneapolis. Having only previously known his native Nairobi, the musician took his songs into bars, clubs and even out onto the street, equipped with only his voice and a simple acoustic guitar, perhaps in the hope of becoming a third millennium Bob Dylan. The Dylan of The Freewheelin', his favourite record; Springsteen's Nebraska also being one of his top picks... But to limit himself to cloning those giants wouldn’t be very interesting. And Tales of America avoids that. First of all, J.S. Ondara has his own voice. His plaintive tone is a little androgynous and makes him truly unique. On the instrumental side, he adds some more daring flavours with the help of the great Andrew Bird, Griffin Goldsmith from Dawes and Joey Ryan from the Milk Carton Kids duo. In a divided America and a crisis-riddled world, J. S. Ondara's songs are more than just bandages, they’re powerful balms that penetrate the skin and warm the heart. This is a Qobuzissime that we needed... © Marc Zisman/Qobuz
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Mike Viola, Producer - Sebastian Steinberg, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Andrew Bird, Fiddle, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Taylor Goldsmith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Griffin Goldsmith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer, Recording Engineer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - David Boucher, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Taylor Goldsmith, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joey Ryan, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jon Flower, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Taylor Goldsmith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Gabe Noel, Cello, Bass Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Griffin Goldsmith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2018 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer - Sebastian Steinberg, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Griffin Goldsmith, Percussion, AssociatedPerformer - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ondara, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Sebastian Steinberg, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Andrew Bird, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Taylor Goldsmith, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - Joey Ryan, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Griffin Goldsmith, Drums, AssociatedPerformer - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Madison Cunningham, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2018 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer, Guitar, Recording Engineer, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer, StudioPersonnel - David Boucher, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Taylor Goldsmith, Guitar, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Joey Ryan, Background Vocalist, AssociatedPerformer - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Jon Flower, Double Bass, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - David Boucher, Mixer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer, Guitar, AssociatedPerformer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist - Evgeny Tonkha, Cello, AssociatedPerformer
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Mike Viola, Producer - David Boucher, Mixer, Recording Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Eric Boulanger, Mastering Engineer, StudioPersonnel - Ondara, Guitar, Vocals, MainArtist, AssociatedPerformer, ComposerLyricist
℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
Album review
The American dream is an inexhaustible subject. It is approached head-on, sideways, from behind, above and below. It is the ultimate fuel for hordes of songwriters; even when they weren’t even born in America. As is the case for J.S. Ondara. This young Kenyan, who his label calls "the link between Tracy Chapman and Michael Kiwanuka" (an easy claim but not wrong), went there to try his luck. In 2013, Ondara dropped anchor at his aunt's house in Minneapolis. Having only previously known his native Nairobi, the musician took his songs into bars, clubs and even out onto the street, equipped with only his voice and a simple acoustic guitar, perhaps in the hope of becoming a third millennium Bob Dylan. The Dylan of The Freewheelin', his favourite record; Springsteen's Nebraska also being one of his top picks... But to limit himself to cloning those giants wouldn’t be very interesting. And Tales of America avoids that. First of all, J.S. Ondara has his own voice. His plaintive tone is a little androgynous and makes him truly unique. On the instrumental side, he adds some more daring flavours with the help of the great Andrew Bird, Griffin Goldsmith from Dawes and Joey Ryan from the Milk Carton Kids duo. In a divided America and a crisis-riddled world, J. S. Ondara's songs are more than just bandages, they’re powerful balms that penetrate the skin and warm the heart. This is a Qobuzissime that we needed... © Marc Zisman/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 11 track(s)
- Total length: 00:42:06
- Main artists: Ondara
- Composer: Ondara
- Label: Verve Forecast
- Genre: Pop/Rock Pop
© 2018 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. ℗ 2019 Verve Label Group, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc.
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