Producer and singer Georgia Anne Muldrow is on a mission to liberate the world from Eurocentrism. Her purpose is evident in the bold, imaginative songs she creates with people like Mos Def, SA-RA and Erykah Badu and the intensity displayed in her latest self-produced solo album, King’s Ballad. Released February 9 by Ubiquity Records, the album’s hip-hop, progressive soul, funk, jazz and African rhythms invokes both ancient and futuristic themes.
“I’m actively engaging in the battle for opening minds,” she says on the phone from her home in Los Angeles.
Last summer Muldrow signed a recording deal with Ubiquity Records and created King’s Ballad for the label in tribute to the King of Pop, Michael Jackson. But Muldrow’s far more than an entertainer. The 26-year-old calls herself “a healer through music.” Her albums are just some of her revolutionary remedies.
Another Word For Sound
Many compare Muldrow’s globetrotting soulful styles to Lauryn Hill, but someone always says that about any musical black woman with this kind of strength and vision. It’s true that albums like King’s Ballad and Umsindo (Someothaship Records, 2009) are self-produced, self-written and self-performed – slightly reminiscent of some of Hill’s work–but truthfully, Muldrow’s sound is an entirely different species.
Listeners will find booty-shaking, P-funk baselines in some tunes and somber tribal chants in others. Muldrow’s use of polyrhythm and unusual time signatures recall jazz great Thelonius Monk’s experimentation and compositions are densely arranged while her vocal performances are highly improvisational.
Likewise, her lyrics explore myriad emotions and ideas. Some songs speak about Parliament-like entreaties to “have a fonky day;” others reveal intimate reflections on her musical heroes or her motherhood, while strident Afro-centric raps make ’90s hits by group Arrested Development’s seem moderate. If a single theme can be found in her lengthy albums (Umsindo boasted 24-songs, King’s Ballad has 19), it is a willful refusal to be put in a box.
The same can be said about Muldrow’s vibrant personal style. She is equally as comfortable in understated, earth-mother dashikis, kente-cloth patterned dresses or a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. And there’s also the Angela-Davis-sized afro she sports–that’s by design.
“I know why my hair is kinky,” she says. “I know the spiritual reason why it’s kinky and I know the scientific reason why it’s kinky and I know the geographical reason why it’s kinky.”
Despite her revolutionary pronouncements and intense artistic insights, she often laughs warmly and easily. With her silky voice and laid-back positivity, a conversation with Muldrow is like talking to a cross between Nina Simone and the Cheshire Cat. But her easy-going demeanor doesn’t hinder her serious artistic mission. Muldrow’s unconventional musical approach is part of her broader goal of helping people to “break free of Eurocentric thinking,” she insists.
Muldrow challenges listeners with music that abandons Western tuning. In more than a few songs, her notes slide into sharp or flat pitches that create strong dissonances. “I’m going back to a more primal place where our air was clean and there was no corruption… I utilize ancient song forms that have been around for thousands of years before pop music. Everything you do shows through your tone–if you’re not covering it up with Auto-Tune.”
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