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LOCAL MUSIC SPOTLIGHT: Nadir-Distorted Soul July 2, 2004
The Lowdown: Fresh from a strong showing at the Independent Music World Series (IMWS), a national competition run by the New Jersey-based CD mastering and pressing outfit Disc Makers, Nadir -- Distorted Soul is set to perform for its biggest, most diverse audience yet at this weekend's Comerica TasteFest in the New Center area of Detroit.
The band, which mixes soul, rock and a grab-bag of other influences, was one of six Midwestern finalists selected from among 1,000 entrants that performed in an IMWS regional showcase in Chicago in May. (Shipwreck Union, another Detroit band, won the competition.)
The Lineup: Jonah Nadir Omowale, 35, a native Tennessean who lives in Westland, is the singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist who leads the group. He has a BS in recording industry management with a minor in music from Middle Tennessee State University and spent several years in Nashville writing and singing with other bands.
He toured the United States and Europe as a bassist for the alt-hip-hop act Me Phi Me and led his own band, Jack Johnson (named for the first black heavyweight boxing champion), before coming to Michigan three years ago to work at MetLife and to soak up Detroit's musical vibes.
The current lineup of the band has been together since last year. It includes vocalists Tamara Jones and Ping Spells; Chris Sego, guitar; Brandon Holland, keyboards; Freeman Spells Jr., bass, and Earl Orr, drums. Jones is from Saginaw; the others are metro Detroiters.
The Name: Nadir (nah-DEER) is an Arabic name meaning rare and precious. Distorted Soul is the name of the CD, the band and its musical philosophy. Nadir's surname, Omowale, is Yoruba for "child who has returned home."
The Sound: Distorted Soul is an intimate commingling of soul and rock, with myriad other influences. You hear hip-hop, spirituals, blues, jazz and bits that instantly take you back to the sound of AM radio in the 1960s. The comparison to rocker Lenny Kravitz doesn't displease Omowale, who cites Prince, Miles Davis, Gil Scott-Heron, John Coltrane, Sananda Maitreya (ne Terrence Trent D'Arby) and Barry White as his inspirations.
Hot tracks on this debut CD include the funk-rock "Slave," "Daddy's Cane" and the erotic "Sanctified." Omowale's favorite is "Conspiracy," which he describes as political hip-hop funk.
On Record: You can hear the full Distorted Soul debut CD, released last fall, at www.distortedsoul.com, the band's very slick Web site. It's also available for purchase online via the band's Web site and www.amazon.com.
On his CD Player: Since he moved to Motown, Omowale has been steeping himself in Bob Marley and Fela Kuti. "So the next record will see an evolution into a Detroit-sounding, Afro-beat, Distorted Soul sound," he says.
Live gigs: Nadir -- Distorted Soul plays at 6:30 p.m. Monday at TasteFest. The band also performs at Royal Oak's Memphis Smoke July 29.
By Kim Silarski, Free Press special writer
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