neneh cherry's homebrew: isn't it better than overrated raw like sushi?

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Hearing how strong this album was recently was a pleasant surprise, as I wasn't ever too thrilled with Sushi. its a shame that its been forgotten, i guess. i think it also featured geoff barrow's mixing on two tracks - so with the exception of blue lines, some of these cuts can be said to be the earliest "trip-hop" tracks. portishead 2 years before dummy.

― V, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A beautiful album. Lots of record scratching and hissing sounds. Me too I never understood why Sushi is supposed to be the one. I found Sushi boring and conventional. Whereas Homebrew is tuneful/cosy and a little experimental at the same time. The personal lyrics are nice as well. On a side not I never got into Massive Attack's Blue Lines neither. Their second album was the one that hit me (kind of).

― alex in mainhattan, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Adored Homebrew for a long time and still do a bit, but in retrospect I can see what people might dislike about it - namely its self-conscious worthiness and tendencies towards preachy didactics, and the way the music walks the line between experimentalism and tastefulness (though it must have been really forward-looking in '92). The development from Raw Like Sushi to Homebrew reminds me of Ms. Dynamite's switch from raw, edgy garage mc'ing to the self- conscious authentic R&B of A Little Deeper (or rather, Dynamite reminds me of Neneh) - a reduction in energy, in scope, in possibilities.

What saves Homebrew though is that (contrary to prevailing opinion) Neneh actually wrote better hooks on this album than on her first, and her didactism is actually quite pleasant to listen to. Oh yeah, and it's a beautiful *sounding* album, yet not entirely lacking in energy as Man was. The best tracks - "Move With Me", "I Ain't Gone Under Yet", "Somedays", "Red Paint" - are still highly affecting.

― Tim, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Homebrew kicks righteous ass, even now. Red Paint, Move With Me, Peace Of Mind... they all sound so timeless. I wish she'd get off her baby-raisin' butt and make some new music. Never got a chance to hear "Man," from '96. The stuff she did with tricky on Nearly God was also tremendous.

― maria, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

"Together Now" (her track with Tricky) was the best thing on Man, which was a nice listen but overall far too sedate. "Everything" was v. good though.

Apparently she did half an album of material with Tricky in 95/96 that was intended to be released at some stage. I wonder what happened to it - if it was up to the standard of "Together Now" it would be very good indeed.

― Tim, Wednesday, 31 July 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Ohhh yes, see I had just been listening to Nearly God recently and was going WILD over Together Now - such a sinuous sexful-sex-filled track (and the best on that repetitive, numbing album too). It inspired me to hear Homebrew again and I found it really marvelous, especially in its tunefulness...but such pleasures may not be apparent on the first few listens. Hearing the songs a few times (such sparse moments like I Ain't Gone Under Yet fuly blossom when you appreciate the way she goes from rap..to sung verse..back to rap..without diluting the hook!) enliven their appeal. Its just such a *fresh* listen, even a decade later, like squeezing a juicy orange on your hot face. I nevre heard Man but I'd really be excited if she released Tricky-ish material, or if she just guest-vocaled on his album, seeing how Martina isn't with him any longer.

Alex - I know what ou mean about Blue lines, only a few songs really affect me on it (like "Lately"), but if were combined with Protection as a sort of double album then it would have been out of this world. Of course that would be impossible since their sound had um, "evolved" so much in between. But a lot of the BL songs sound really dry at this point...not that much trip in the hop.

<- a reduction in energy, in scope, in possibilities. >

Nah, I disagree. If anything Sushi sounded too modest and predictable in scope, as if she was suitably and obediently displaying "how-to- make-a-good-dance-hip-hoprecord-a-la-1989" and succeeding at it, never rising out of convention or sing-along, happy-to-like groove (though I do like those lyrics of "because ready or not, here i CUM!"). The preachiness of Homebrew on the other hand I can digest easily since whether or not its true (and it probably isn't) she sounds as if she's speaking from some sort of emotional experience, and so I feel a sort of deepening inspiration rather than didacticism when I hear. Of course, i understand where you're coming from though, it would be easy to get really bored with her ere though. It's impossible to hate, however, anyone that can write a line like this and pull it off:

"Move with me, I'm strong enough, to be weak in your arms."

Rare, just rare.

― V, Thursday, 1 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

fourteen years pass...

This thread is too short. This album flows so nicely, hasn't got a weak track, the tunes are so catchy, the scratching and the other slightly experimental sounds make it a little rawer than the smooth songs might suggest.

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 22 January 2017 13:58 (nine years ago)

And I like being preached to by Neneh...

― it's the distortion, stupid! (alex in mainhattan), Sunday, 22 January 2017 13:58 (nine years ago)

I can never rate it higher than Raw but still think it's awesome.

― nathom, Sunday, 22 January 2017 22:02 (nine years ago)

This album has Michael Stipe rapping, but it also has "Move With Me," which is one of the greatest singles of its era.

― some sad trombone Twilight Zone shit (cryptosicko), Sunday, 22 January 2017 23:27 (nine years ago)

one year passes...

The two pre-released tracks from her new album Broken Politics sound fantastic - sort of a midpoint between Homebrew and Blank Project. So excited for this!

― Tim F, Saturday, 13 October 2018 00:24 (seven years ago)

The new album is pretty good, not up to the 2014 album that I adored.

― You like queer? I like queer. Still like queer. (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 13 October 2018 00:53 (seven years ago)

five years pass...

"Red Paint" is lovely. This era of music thrills me.

― the talented mr pimply (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Tuesday, 20 August 2024 16:51 (one year ago)

Loooooove “Red Paint”

― Tim F, Tuesday, 20 August 2024 20:42 (one year ago)

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