Discography Artist: Siji

January 17, 2009
Posted by Musicman
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The second born of twelve children to Nigerian émigrés in London, Siji spent much of his early childhood in Lagos and London before coming to the US to further pursue his musical ambitions. His own cultural heritage combined with the political and social movements of the age, exposed young Siji to the insurgent, politicized music of the Afrobeat legends Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Tony Allen as well as the soulful grooves of Marvin Gaye, Al Green, and Otis Redding. His parents, in particular, his father, loved music, but like most children of hardworking immigrants, Siji was urged by them to pursue a career in the professional fields of medicine or law. But the lure of the music was too strong. In the nineties, when London was bursting at the seams with new music and groups like Loose Ends, Soul II Soul, and D-Influence dominated the scene, Siji’s attention was captured and he began to follow his passion for making and recording his own music.

After completing a Masters degree in Engineering Product Design, the self-taught piano, percussion and acoustic bass player released an EP, "Facets" followed by the single "My Lover's Embrace" on his own label IVY Records in 1996. These releases garnered much respect and admiration on the influential London underground music scene, gave Siji credibility as an artist, and eventually led to a lucrative worldwide publishing deal with Warner Chappell Music. His youth and inexperience made him open himself up to all possibilities in his music, but it also lead him to sign a deal that he would find limiting to his creativity. With the publishing deal under his belt, Siji relocated to New York and performed in renowned venues—SOB’s, Bam Café and Joe's Pub. He has worked with a number of producers, but it is his collaboration with Osunlade, who produced music for Musiq Soulchild, Eric Benet, and classic R&B vocalist Patti Labelle, that fostered in Siji a love of production. He has contributed songwriting and production talent to projects for Salif Keita, Cesaria Evora, Vinia Mojica and Wunmi. © Siji

Siji - God-Given (2004)

Mindblowing stuff, the first album from Siji, and an immediate classic that grabbed us right away! Siji's been bumping around on various records for the past few years, lending his vocal talents to a number of great club tracks and singles, but this is his first full album, and it's a heck of a great debut! There's a righteousness to the album that's undeniable, a vocal style that's spacey, warm, and mellow and which puts Siji somewhere in a trajectory of soul that runs from Stevie Wonder to Eric Roberson! The tunes have a bit of an influence from the New York Osunlade scene, no surprise, considering that Osunlade's offered Siji a lot of support over the years, but the songwriting itself is completely fresh, and crackles out with a personal energy that only seems to deepen as the set moves on. Incredible stuff, with a sound all its own!
© Dustygroove

Siji - Adé Siji (2008)

Brilliant work from Siji, a beautiful album through and through, and even better than his debut! There's a full, righteous sensibility to the record that really grabs us from the start, a sound that goes way beyond what you might expect, given that Siji did most of the music himself with the a rich blend of influences that include 70s soul, African rhythms, and a range of hipper sounds from the current cosmic underground. The beats are never too broken, and the tunes are wonderfully focused, often topped with vocals by Siji that are even better than we remember, sung with a mature soulfulness that almost reminds us of Jon Lucien at points, with a majestic, flowing sort of approach. The whole thing's great, a much thicker record than you might guess from the slimline package, easily one of the deepest sets we've heard in awhile, an album that knows how to groove, but never loses its sense of soul!
© Dustygroove

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Discography Artist: Siji

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