In his latest music column for Barnet Post, Jon Kudlick introduces a hot new local artist and another making a long-awaited comeback By Jon Kudlick
Sodi Cookey is a new artist based in Barnet
For my latest Barnet Post music column I bring you two wonderful local acts, both of which are hard to define and both very different from each other.
First up we have amazing newcomer Sodi Cookey. Although born in the UK, he spent much of his childhood in Nigeria, eventually returning to London as a youth with just £50 and a rucksack on his back.
Sodi has been making music for a while now, but this is his first proper release. Sodi cites a range of influences, from Minnie Riperton to Jeff Buckley, and listening to his debut single Breathe you can understand this brave boast. The song revolves around a catchy hook over two chords, and this becomes the constant as the mood shifts, drawing you in through the build-up of the musical arrangement, and even more so, the building fervour of his vocal.
Sodi has an exceptional voice, and can pull off a great Buckley falsetto, lending the music an epic and emotional edge. For a debut single, it’s all quite tantalising, and I’m looking forward to hearing more. Breathe is out now on all good streaming services.
Then we have The Fugitives; four bespectacled gentlemen based in Golders Green who are releasing their first single and album in over ten years. Leading the project is singer-songwriter Matt Woolf who has generously invited a number of songwriters to contribute their ideas, some contributing songs that they had written 30 years ago.
This approach has given The Fugitives’ sound a distinct identity, a nostalgic mix of good old-fashioned song writing but without sounding dated. The first single, In Your Life, is a lovely tune wrapped around a hard-to-pin-down structure, replacing the verse chorus verse chorus pattern with their own elements and heavy doses of charm.
There are some elements of Joe Jackson and early Elvis Costello, all squarely aimed at reclaiming some of those 70s classic pop sounds and sweet vocal harmonies. The album Everymen has just been released and is available on CD and vinyl as well as online.
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