Natty Band Review
Swine flue aside, Barack Obama’s presidency is the global obsession du jour. But not always for the right reasons. In his track The King Had A Dream, UK reggae artist Natty gets to the crux of the matter and offers us this stripped-down, sincere, moving musical appraisal of Obama’s election, putting it in context as one of the most significant moments in recent history, particularly for people of ethnic minorities.
Natty is 24 years old and a son of North London. Of mixed race heritage, (his mother is from Lesotho, his father is English), it is little wonder that he approved of and was inspired by Obama’s election. Natty is notorious for infusing his music with political debate, so perhaps it was inevitable that he would pen a song expressing his feelings about President Obama.
The King Had A Dream is surprisingly low-key for a track celebrating a milestone in African-American civil rights. The gentle strains of acoustic guitar, backing vocals courtesy of an African choir and the rhythmic, hollow patter of a handheld drum are all Natty needs to reinforce his lyrics, which are quietly, steadfastly joyous. The chorus uses Obama’s campaign slogan, ‘Yes We Can’, the words repeated again and again as if Natty doesn’t quite believe it himself.
By describing the impact of Obama’s election on a worldwide community of ordinary people who in the past might have felt oppressed or excluded from the establishment, Natty sidesteps hubris to create an uplifting track that really rings true.
However in terms of sound it does not stray from its template. If you are not interested in following the lyrics, the track is slow and lacks variety. Natty is trying to allow the words to speak for themselves, which means he does not feel the need to embellish the song with the soulful guitars, gentle basslines and syncopated rhythms that shine out in his other work. This is a great shame. Songs about politics are still songs, and they also deserve the hooks, riffs and daft middle eights that decorate their more frivolous brothers and sisters.
Anyone who saw the celebrity-peppered music video that was released in the US last year to support Obama’s campaign will notice some similarities to The King Had A Dream – but to my mind, Natty’s efforts are superior. He is not overly emotive or pretentious, and the end result is a song that will resonate with a lot of people. However its simple, stripped-down style lacks Obama’s charisma; and I suspect that despite its worthy sentiments it will not succeed in drawing in the masses.
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