JOSEPHINE ONIYAMA : 'Kindred (Deluxe)' - expanded CD and digital formats of new album by soulful British singer-songwriter out 29.09.23
JOSEPHINE ONIYAMA
KINDRED (Deluxe)
expanded album
out 29.09.23
(Sound Of Solar Records)
pre-order/save
CD | digital
“Its relationship-exploring songs, together with their arrangements and production, are top-notch and enhanced by Oniyama’s strong but subtle and distinctive voice ****”
MOJO
“A modern, spacious production, but there’s a timelessness about her approach with acoustic guitar combining with electronics and synthetic strings, plus her rich voice and finely wrought songs 8/10”
HI-FI NEWS
“With her soulful, complex contralto, she has one of the most distinctive voices in British pop”
GET IN HER EARS
“An engaging exploration of life and love in the world today, delivered in her properly remarkable voice”
NORTHERN SOUL
includes the singles
ACT LIKE YOU’RE IN LOVE
lyric video
TEARS WILL NEVER BE MINE | HUMAN |
BURN | KINDRED
‘Kindred’ is the current album by the soulful singer-songwriter Josephine Oniyama, who is based in Liverpool but was born and raised in Manchester. Released digitally in late 2022, the album is now being made available in expanded CD and digital formats that contain three bonus songs.
‘Get Into Danger’ is a collaboration with Oniyama’s long-standing live guitarist Steve Marsden, ‘Made For Love’ was written and produced with the Hamburg collective that contributed to much of ‘Kindred’, while ‘Desert Without A Stream’ was included on the German CD format of her ‘Portrait’ album released a decade ago but has never been released in the UK until now.
With five of its songs released as singles and receiving airplay across the BBC and Absolute Radio, ‘Kindred’ reintroduced Oniyama to fans after a period out of the spotlight. While reviewers compared her favourably to the likes of Joni Mitchell and Joan Armatrading, she explained that its songs “focus on human connections, friendship, family, love and being strong through adversity. It’s about going on a journey together and sharing life with others and each of us striving to be the best we can be along the way.”
‘Kindred’ appeared a full decade after ‘Portrait’, which itself had been issued to stunning reviews that praised its fusion of folk, soul, Afrobeat and jazz. Songs from it were playlisted at BBC Radio 2, with further support from 6 Music, XFM and Jazz FM, while Oniyama also performed on Later With Jools Holland HERE, The Andrew Marr Show and more. High profile support slots, festival appearances and extensive tours helped solidify her burgeoning reputation and also saw her noticed by a diverse selection of her peers, leading to collaborations with rock band Travis and jazz producer/trumpeter Matthew Halsall.
Oniyama was subsequently commissioned to compose scores for the launch of HOME, the Manchester international contemporary arts centre, which expanded her creative ideas and skills as a songwriter, arranger and sound artist. Some of her thoughts about her writing process appeared in an interview with Songwriting Magazine in 2022 and have just been republished online HERE.
Oniyama also spent time earning an MA degree in English and became a mother while writing and recording ‘Kindred'.
KINDRED (Deluxe)
TRACKLISTING
1 Act Like You’re In Love
2 Tears Will Never Be Mine
3 Kindred
4 ’Til You
5 Superheroes
6 Sanctuary
7 Human
8 Every Second
9 Break Free
10 Burn
11 Get Into Danger
12 Made For Love
13 Desert Without A Stream
