Georgia Anne Muldrow

Olesi: Fragments of an Earth

BY Del F. CowiePublished Feb 20, 2007

Georgia Anne Muldrow’s obvious talent could be read as both a blessing and a curse. As a producer, arranger, vocalist and sometime MC obviously inspired by everyone from Nina Simone to Madlib she is a creative force to be reckoned with. At first her restless creativity may seem unnerving to the uninitiated because of her unorthodox approach. Her offbeat approach to jazzy hip-hop beats and raw, angular voice are distinctive enough calling cards without the fact that many of her tracks end about a minute and a half after they’ve started. This can be frustrating on particularly strong songs such as "Wrong Way.” However, what emerges beyond the scattershot sequencing of this record is that Muldrow is on a voyage of self-discovery and truth, one that much like many of her tracks, feels like is still in progress. But there’s something quite enthralling about following Muldrow on this journey. Intuitively connecting the personal and political, she poetically rails against the human tragedy of Hurricane Katrina, the seductive lure of materialism via the idiot box, and casts a critical eye on herself and her identity while taking time to celebrate love’s complex simplicities through her jagged poetic prose. Ironically, the aching acoustic ballad "Patience” is one of the most straight-forward tracks here and it is those who possess this quality that will be rewarded by this singular maverick talent.
(Stones Throw)

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