NICKY LAWRENCE - UGLY BLACK WOMAN [CD]

GYPSY SOUL RECORDS

£14.38

Cat. no: GSR022CD
Format: CD
Barcode: 8720766053783
Release Date: 29 Nov 2024
Genre: Soul/R&B

Across the album's 18 tracks (9 full length songs and 9 poems/monologues) Nicky tells her story, and that of numerous other black women throughout Canadian history

It's a deep, vulnerable, nuanced expression of the lived experiences which she has survived. From sweeping success to heart breaking lows, her passion into the exploration of what Black women go through in love and life is on full, brilliant display. For over a decade 'Ugly Black Woman'was carefully crafted and patiently curated. As each year unfolded new experiences would add to the layers of what UBWwould fnally become. Not so much a process as an alchemy of sorts, Nicky dutifully pays homage to the suffering and anguish of the sisters who came before her. Knowing all that they had sacrifced so she could stand on her own and create her art, Nicky's process became a dedication to the incomparable Black women who in the end provided the very life force of this record.

The power of 'Ugly Black Woman' not only lies in the stories of the lives told but also in Nicky's ability to honour those lives and use their stories together with her own and pour them into her songwriting. The result is an effortless mix of RNB, neo-soul and addictive pop delivered through stripped back ballads and anthemic pop songs. Nicky's huge vocal is spine-tingling, a sure instrument for belting out her feelings and you feel every emotional note she hits.Songs like "Doormat"and "Done" are the albums quieter moments." Doormat" is a soulful soliloquy about how "When lovers try to become friends one inevitability thinks they can step on the other" and 'Done' is the acceptance and freedom that comes from knowing when a relationship is over. Pushed to the brink of emotional evisceration Nicky's vocal calmly lets her lover know there will be no more "You and I are Done."

UK press coverage:
Echoes Magazine - Double page feature and interview
Blues and Soul Magazine - Album Review and interview
The Voice - Feature article
Word Play Magazine - Newspiece
Fortitude Magazine - Review
Kindline Magazine - News piece

Tracks: Us / Doormat / Truth / Done / Freedom / Young Ones / Autonomy / Worthless / Defance / Get Over It / Foundation / Middle / Reckoning / Savage / Waiting For You / I Got You / Ugly Black Woman / Epilogue