Ndidi O Simple Songs For Complicated Times Black Hen

Ndidi O was a new name for me when I got an email from a publicist promoting multiple Canadian artists. All it took was one quick sampling of the 11 original songs on Simple Songs For Complicated Times to have me adding this wonderful, soulful singer to my list of favorites.

The native of Burns Lake, British Columbia has also spent time in both Toronto and New York City, but headed to Nashville to record this album with Steve Dawson doing the production at his Henhouse studio. The result is an insightful album that covers a wide range of emotions regarding relationships and issues facing women in general.

Dawson also played guitar and pedal steel, with Sam Howard (bass), Gary Craig (drums), and Chris Gestrin (keyboards) rounding out the backing band, to go with backup singers Khari McClelland, Dawn Pemberton, and Keri Latimer. It's a solid group that provides the support to Ms. O's expressive vocals.

Opening the album is "Get Gone," soulful with gospel overtones as she sings defiantly about keeping toxic people out of her life, with the backing singers echoing her lyrics and Dawson's steel guitar providing an eerie vibe. "Ode To Death" starts as a mournful, mid-tempo blues as she's realizing that this love is over before it morphs into a song of jubilation.

Ms. O's voice soars throughout "Light On," a song of redemption with plenty of diverse sounds coming through, especially from Dawson's stringed instruments and Gestrin's keyboards, with supportive vocals as she sings "..."You'll get by, you'll get on by, because you've got the light on your side ..." "So Cold" tells that other person what went wrong with the relationship, with Dawson providing a touch of mystery with his pedal steel.

"Don't Come Back" is a slow, eerie song, with the powerful lead vocals filled with emotion, as she sings "... So baby don't come back, because here is not where you belong ..." The effects on Dawson's slide guitar give this song the appropriate snaky feeling. "In May" has a distinct country sound, a pretty number with dobro accompaniment and pedal steel in the background and the latter coming in with a strong solo.

The slow, plodding "Change This Life" carries a heavy gospel overtone throughout, especially with the background chorus complementing Ms. O's inspirational vocals as she consistently gives a reminder that it's time to change this life so that women can be free. "Too Late" is a mid-tempo lament about getting older in a society that favors the young, but she's not giving up and reminds us that it's not too late to find something to hold on to by remaining strong. Nice guitar solo here.

The pain in Ms. O's voice is obvious in the slow "Grief", with the pedal steel chords echoing that dismay. "Working Girl" is pretty much a straight-ahead 12-bar blues as she sings about how hard her mother worked to support the family without the help of her mostly absent father. A very strong slide solo from Dawson adds the finishing touch to this fine song.

Closing the album is a number that I believe should be a candidate for Song of the Year. On the up-tempo "Worth," Ms. O sings defiantly about the goals in life that society believes she should be seeking --- a house, a car, a man, and kids. That's not for her, and she very clearly explains that her worth isn't measured by the systems of others, finally proclaiming "...just let me be...."

Now that I've become familiar with Ndidi O, I need to dig deeper into her discography, because she's done a lot of different types of music throughout her career. (Check out her version of The Staples Singers "May Be The Last Time" that was included on on episode of the HBO series "True Blood"). Why she's not famous is a mystery, but hopefully the wonderful Simple Songs For Complicated Times will introduce her to new audiences.

--- Bill Mitchell