When we first came across Ntjam Rosie, we rushed to add her to our roster of Bounce-Worthy artists. Six years later, and Ntjam is still proving that she's more than worthy of the title. She returns to the scene this year with her brand new album Breaking Cycles, which sports the style and sound that we've come to love from the Cameroonian singer/songwriter but infuses it with influences from modern and classic R&B, along with African soul influences as well.
The set opens with the funky, fun "Take A Good Look At Me," which invites the listener and the subject of the song to reevaluate everything we've come to know about the singer. Helping with this reimagining is a sticky groove that's enhanced by horns and syncopated drum rhythms that show the songstress can switch things up and still make it work. She proves this time and again on Breaking Cycles, weaving in and out of styles quite seamlessly while channeling some of our faves like Erykah Badu on "Forgive Me" or alt-R&B darlings like Kelela or Nao on joints like "A Long Way." Still, she filters it all through her own lens, imbuing it all with jazzy inflections and her breezy musical sensibility. And just in case you were worried that she's lost her own sound on this one, look no further than songs like "Stop Wasting My Time" and "Free Your Mind" to assuage your doubts.
Breaking Cycles isn't exactly reinventing the wheel, and it doesn't really have to. What it does do, however, is give us an extended glimpse into Ntjam Rosie's artistry and allow us to see her talents in a whole new light. Stream the project in full right here via Spotify and pick it up from your digital retailer of choice. And if you happen to catch her during her Dutch tour (dates can be found below), which kicks off this Saturday, you'll be able to pick up a physical copy as well.
Ntjam Rosie Breaking Cycles [Amazon][iTunes][Google Play]
Ntjam Rosie Dutch Tour Dates
02-12-2017 Spijkenisse, Theater De Stoep (try-out)
15-12-2017 Leidenschendam, Het Veur Theater (try-out)
16-12-2017 Rotterdam, LantarenVenster (premier)
19-12-2017 Amstelveen, Griffioen Cultuurcentrum VU
05-1-2018 Almere, Kunstlinie Almere Flevoland
12-1-2018 Gouda, De Goudse Schouwburg
19-1-2018 Maastricht, Theater aan het Vrijthof
20-1-2018 Hoorn, Schouwburg en Congrescentrum Het Park
25-1-2018 Kampen, Stadsgehoorzaal
26-1-2018 Den Haag, Theater Dakota
27-1-2018 Apeldoorn, Schouwburg en Congrescentrum Orpheus
02-2-2018 Drachten, Schouwburg De Lawei
03-2-2018 Panningen, Stichting theater DOK6
05-2-2018 Amsterdam, De Kleine Komedie
10-2-2018 Utrecht, TivoliVredenburg, Cloud Nine
17-2-2018 Deventer, Deventer Schouwburg
03-3-2018 Zwolle, Zwolse Theaters
09-3-2018 Roosendaal, Schouwburg de Kring
