Search - Neneh Cherry :: Raw Like Sushi

INFLUENTIAL AND AHEAD OF IT'S TIME

J. Johnson | CT | 07/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Neneh Cherry,the beautiful,funky Afro-Swede chick whose the stepdaughter of free jazz pioneer Don Cherry and stepsister of folk-rocker Eagle Eye Cherry stepped out on the scene in 1989 with this brillant(and underrated) debut,"Raw Like Sushi".Neneh was very influential.Sassy,streetwise,and cultured,"Sushi"
didn't fit neatly in a catergory.Free sprited and independent,Neneh also paved the way for Missy Elliot,Nelly Furtado,Lauryn Hill,TLC,and many others with her multi-facted blend of hip hop sprit,sexy aura,and blunt,womanly lyrics.I wouldn't argue to call her groundbreaking."Sushi"'s ten tracks all have punch and all are surprisingly aduquate.Altough this album was released thirteen years ago,it strangly doesn't so dated.In fact,it sounds even more relavant.
From the classic "Buffalo Stance" to the haunting gem "Manchild"
(which predates the advent of trip hop)to the sassy midtempo hit
"Kisses On The Wind" to the brazen "The Next Generation",there's no weak spots on here.Neneh actually brought some merucial promise to the then-sterile state of contempary Black music in the late '80s.And with her model good looks(frankly,the girl was FINE!),bohemian style,and street sass,Neneh actually joined the ranks of Lisa Bonet,Cree Summer,Veronica Webb,and other fellow free sprited beauties.To put it short,Ms. Cherry had it going on!Neneh would go on to release two more even-more adventrous albums after "Raw Like Sushi":1992's "Homebrew" and 1996's more trip-hop leaning "Man" but "Raw Like Sushi" will always stand as a precedent in music-even if many don't remember her."

One of my favorite albums

Andrew Olivo | Oregon, United States | 06/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"RAW LIKE SUSHI is the early 1990's debut album of English singer/rapper Neneh Cherry (incidentally, Neneh is the step-daughter of Jazz artist Don Cherry, and the sister of Eagle-Eye Cherry who found success recently with the hit single "Save Tonight"). She was a mix between Queen Latifah and Madonna, and her hit single "Buffalo Stance" (a song about hussling) had become a major international radio hit. It was certainly ahead of its time because it incorporated what today is almost formula: a rap verse with a singing chorus. What is remarkable is that Neneh Cherry performed both functions. Most songs that follow this formula are collaborations, assigning one talent to each genre. Buffalo Stance is without a doubt the best song on RAW LIKE SUSHI, but there are many other gems as well. Kisses on the Wind is a fun song about the girl in the neighborhood who matured faster than everyone else, "the first girl to turn the boys on." Inner City Momma, Love Ghetto, and Phoney Ladies, are also great songs. This was an incredibly promising debut that seemed to hint at a future superstar. I'm not sure what went wrong. What has happened to Neneh Cherry? Why isn't she still on the radio? I don't know. But I *do* know that RAW LIKE SUSHI is a great CD that anyone who likes strong women will enjoy."

The original "spice girl".

H3@+h | VT | 04/28/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This debut of hers may not be as impressive now, but in 1988 it was ahead of its time, and great on many levels. "Raw Like Sushi" also covers as many genres as it does topics. I still have the cassingle of "Buffalo Stance", and that song remains the best thing on here. However "Manchild" and "Kisses On The Wind" are catchy too. In fact, the album starts out very strong, then becomes too similar in the second half. But overall it's a good listen from this "Inna City Momma"."