| Blending Cape Verdean traditional music with American Soul and R&B, Djon Mendes steps into a new musical landscape with his debut American album: Walking Away.
Walking Away is a journey to a new music world – a land where American popular music meets traditional African rhythms. The result is an album of simple compositions on complex odd meters rhythmic structures, streaming from Cape Verde's ancient drumming and chants.
The EP opens with the hit Single: St. Mary Magdalene - a love song based on Cape Verdean legends and myths - continues with the romantic soulful songs You and Walking Away; and closes with the more complex odd-meter compositions Passerby and Move It. While Passerby is structured on a slow 3/4 Cape Verdean Bandera rhythms with American R&B influences, Move It rocks to a combination of 5/4 and 4/4 rhythm structure (simultaneous); all the while, Soul-swinging!
Recorded live ‘in studio’, Walking Way is a simple album emanating from a complex musical heritage that is Cape Verde – The 1st multi-racial and multi-ethnic nation of the New World and creator of the 1st language of the New World: Kriolu (Creole).
Produced by the multi-Grammy Ballot Nominated Ramiro “Dr. Ra” Mendes & João “Djon” Mendes, the album features an acoustic set up of bass, drums, guitars and vocals. Yet it offers a depth of sound and recording one would expect from the Control Tower Studios (Torri Di Control) – MB Records’ renowned music studio responsible for most of Lusophone’s top albums.
The album is mastered by Dr. Toby Mountain (The Beach Boys, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Richard Thompson, Morphine, Joan Jett, Jay Geils, Arlo Guthrie, and Alison Krauss).
Walking Away is currently available in digital format, allowing audiences throughout the world to sample and purchase the album prior to its street debut later this year.
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