Its 2008 and I’m hanging with the Homecookin’ Radio crew at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival. We’re waiting for the show to start and this beautiful gal walks on stage. Nods of approval are shared but like most opening acts nobody has a clue who she is. Then she sings. Correction, she “sangs” (her azz off) and thus begins my love affair with Canadian songstress Zaki Ibrahim. Her multi-linguistic, African influenced sound is reminiscent of Zap Mama but with a more futuristic twist. Her aptly-titled debut album Eclectica is a mix of funk, soul and alternative grooves with standouts including Love-Like, Computer Girl, Grow Again and the Sade-esque Connected. Basically every song on the album is tight. Problem is, it dropped a long time ago and I’ve been clamoring for some new music ever since. And with her new single Something In The Water, well, let’s just say it was well worth the wait. Word on the tweets is her new album Everything Opposite is dropping in January 2012. In the immortal words of one, Bart Scott … #cantwait
via This is Africa