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Raw Like Sushi  >>

Defiant, sexy, playful, nervy, womanly, and wise, 1988's Raw Like Sushi was the opening salvo in Neneh Cherry's brilliant, if woefully underappreciated, career. The hit "Buffalo Stance," with its reworking of Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Gals vibe, found Cherry erroneously labeled as a rap artist. True enough, there are hip-hop elements on Raw Like Sushi, as well as pop, electronic, R&B, and dance, all gleefully mixed up in a progressive melange of beats, cultures, emotions, and grooves. Besides being fierce, funky, and one of the best debuts in memory, Raw Like Sushi helped redefine what women could do in the rigid realm of late-'80s African American music, and it sounds as good today as it did the day it was released. --Amy Linden

Homebrew  >>

Ever since she appeared on Top Of The Pops heavily pregnant, to perform "Buffalo Stance", it's been obvious that Neneh Cherry would never choose to sacrifice her personal life--however intrusive or inconvenient--simply for the sake of her career. So neither the title nor the tone of her second album should come as any surprise: this is the work of a woman well-aware of her sexuality, yet grounded in a solid relationship ("Voluptuous", she boasts proudly, in "Sassy", "I made a choice to be monogamous"). It's a dichotomy best summed up in "Move With Me", with its wonderful assertion of independence and love ("I'm strong enough / To be weak in your arms"), but in fact, the highlights here are many: "Money Love", with its thrilling stop-start arrangement; "Trout", a sex education paean on which Cherry duets with R.E.M's Michael Stipe over thundering Led Zep-style drums; and "Somedays", which sets Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata to a skeletal drum loop and features the album's most soulful vocals. --Andrew McGuire

Man  >>

Having managed to adjust the path of her career past the restrictive but positive stigma of album one Raw Like Sushi, Neneh Cherry delivers an album which musically and lyrically suggests a coming of age. Balancing out the content with a few directional turns, it spans a range of styles from pop ballads--with charming piano melodies, like "Feel It" and "Troubleman"--switching towards slightly misguided but tougher rock-influenced tracks--like the lyrically sensuous "Hornbeam". With a number of popular singles, including the hugely successful "7 Seconds"--featuring Yossou N'Dour--and the James Brown retort "Woman", there are a number of instantly recognisable moments. It is within the shuddering strings and Massive Attack-esque beats of "Carry Me", however, that her voice is most at home. The result is a frustrating album that never quite decides who or what it wants to be. --Found Sounds

7 Seconds  >>

Raw like sushi (1989)  >>

Raw Like Sushi  >>

Defiant, sexy, playful, nervy, womanly, and wise, 1988's Raw Like Sushi was the opening salvo in Neneh Cherry's brilliant, if woefully underappreciated, career. The hit "Buffalo Stance," with its reworking of Malcolm McLaren's Buffalo Gals vibe, found Cherry erroneously labeled as a rap artist. True enough, there are hip-hop elements on Raw Like Sushi, as well as pop, electronic, R&B, and dance, all gleefully mixed up in a progressive melange of beats, cultures, emotions, and grooves. Besides being fierce, funky, and one of the best debuts in memory, Raw Like Sushi helped redefine what women could do in the rigid realm of late-'80s African American music, and it sounds as good today as it did the day it was released. --Amy Linden

Manchild (2 versions, 1989, plus The There's Nothing Wrong Mix-Sukka Mix II of 'Buffalo stance')  >>

Man [CASSETTE]  >>

Woman [CD 1]  >>

7 seconds  >>