You may already know her for her R&B/Dance tracks or her impeccable talent for penning pop hit songs such as “Sugar” (Flo Rida) or “Toyfriend” (David Guetta)… We plug to you Singer-Songwriter Wynter Gordon. Born, Diana Gordon on August 25, 1985, the Queens, New York native has quickly gone on to achieve great success in her music career in a relatively short space of time.
As mentioned, her talents have opened up opportunities to write songs for notable artists such as Mary J Blige, Estelle and Jennifer Lopez to name a few. Gordon is signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut album With the Music I Die in 2011, it went on to top the US dance charts with her debut single “Dirty Talk” going triple platinum in Australia. While currently working on her sophomore album, Wynter Gordon recently set out to release a series of EPs this summer; four to be exact and each to represent a different emotion. Starting off the project is this articles feature, The Human Condition: Doleo, which in Latin means pain. About the EP, Gordon is quoted as saying, “the music I’m making now is music I’ve always made, I’ve just never been able to release it on a label“. Amen to artists who refuse to compromise good music for mainstream acceptance.
Starting off the review is one of the more upbeat numbers on the EP; “No Hush” with its non-wavering drum patterns that stay prominent throughout the track. Gordon plays with her pitch and vocal range a little on this one keeping in tune with the instrumentals, which feature an underlying piano sound. Her take on the love inspired track is a refreshing twist from overcooked love ballads of the same content of a female asking for her partner’s willingness to commit. You can’t help but applaud Gordon’s songwriting skills as the lyrics and sound arrangements make for GOOD quality music. Listen below:
Still in the zone from the previous track, I was taken aback when “Stimela” came on next. The single “Stimela” is birthed from Hugh Masekela‘s anti-apartheid song of the same title thus justifying the apparent African influence. The bold tribal percussions that mesh with Gordon’s crisp and liberating vocals make “Stimela” the best-recorded song on Doleo. The chorus is performed in the native language Zulu with which Gordon performs with ease. No surprises then that this was chosen as the first single to be released from the EP series. I have no doubt you will not hesitate to have this standout record on replay after the first listen!
Lastly, I plug the very excellent “Kids” with its subtle bass drum and occasional metal clang notes. On this opus, Gordon’s voice resonates over the minimalistic sounds which duly bring full attention to her vocals. The tone of the track aptly blends with the message, which is one of growing up still full of innocence you had as a child. I picked this much softer song for the last plug as a smooth transition to convey the diversity of the mixtape, which Gordon superbly offers on The Human Condition: Doleo.
If you’re looking for an EP centered on a specific sound, this 8-track EP is far from that. Doleo is an infusion of music genres ranging from R&B, Pop and Reggae to 90’s Rock and Electronica. As the EP’s press release states,“the music marks a new artistic direction for Wynter who tackles heavier lyrical content and more sophisticated arrangements than her dance/pop projects allowed”. That said, the remaining three parts of the The Human Condition series even though still in production can be highly anticipated. Be on the look out for Wynter Gordon tour dates and the second of the EP series due out before August comes to an end.
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Download: The Human Condition: Doleo – Wynter Gordon
TemiY
