Nadine Shah
Kitchen Sink
Infectious Records
Nadine Shah’s last album, the Hyundai Mercury Prize nominated ’Holiday Destination’ perfectly addressed immigration and Islamophobia. Shah’s social consciousness is reflected in her uncompromising songs that always sonically push boundaries as well as having meaningful lyrics.
Each track on ‘Kitchen Sink’ has a story to tell regarding the crap that women still sadly have to endure in this day and age. From the drunken know-it-all who is gaslighting his girlfriend on ‘Buckfast’ to the catcalls that Shah mimics on ‘Club Cougar’ to the ‘trophy’ wife struggling in the suburban dinner party hell of ‘Ladies For Babies (Goats For Love)’ whilst having to deal with the curtain twitching neighbours of centrepiece track ‘Kitchen Sink.’
‘Kitchen Sink’ is primarily an album about ‘choice.’ As a 30 something woman, Shah found that many of her friends were getting married and having kids “before it is too late.” This made Shah compare and question her own life to others and listen to to the stories of friends that have chosen to become wives or mothers or neither.
‘All that she wants is another baby’ sang Ace of Base which inspired Shah to write ‘Ladies For Babies (Goats For Love)’ and before there is any scraping of chairs: the aforementioned song sounds nothing like Ace Of Base.
With ‘Kitchen Sink’ Shah and collaborator Ben Hillier have cooked up a sound that can be compared to post-Metal Box era Public Image Ltd combined with post-Remain In Light Talking Heads. Music that leans towards Celluloid Record releases with electronica, dub, jazz and afro-beat thrown into the equation. Whilst the subject matter of the songs on ’Kitchen Sink’ is dead serious, the music as a whole is Shah at her most upbeat and adventurous yet. A truly brilliant album.
4/5
David Nobakht