Nneka: Love Supreme – sweet, sharp and serene

Plugged by Nas, sampled by Rita Ora, Nigerian-born, Hamburg-based Nneka makes music that ranges across genres, a versatility that chimes with her own internationalist backstory: she’s also a visual artist with an anthropology-archaeology degree. Her fourth album, released on her own label, takes in African-inflected reggae resonant with electronics (Yahweh, Maya), dissonant soul (About Guilt) and the stark, trip hop-like Afrobeat of the title track. Made in lockdown, independent of her previous labels, Nneka has been keen to join the dots between the contemporary Nigerian pop takeover and her own predilection for spacious, bass-y production.

The silver thread throughout these songs is Nneka’s deceptively featherlight voice, one that tends towards sweetness and serenity but can pivot towards a sharp righteousness. The politically charged Afrobeat-rap of Yansh is both playful and furious. Then there’s the grace of her songs that ponder deceit and healing. There are bangers here that deserve a wider audience. The dubby love song Tea? finds Nneka reconnecting with a former lover, checking on whether he has done as much work on himself as she has – gently, but pointedly.