Nate James-Kingdom Falls

Release date: June 11 2007

Format: Single
Genre: R&B/Soul
Our Rating: 3/5

Don’t you just hate it when a man can scrub up better than you? And to make matters worse he beats you in the eyebrow department too- meet Nate James. Not only could he be the  mascot for mankind (nice eye candy,laydeez) but he is also pleasing on the ear drums too.

Side tracking slightly, Kingdom Falls is a leap away from the disdain monotonous R&B lyrics. Here, Nate gives a meaningful and melodically sound of a heartfelt experience. Merging soul with electro –could this be UK’s very own Justin trouser snake Timberlake? It could well be…

Priya, MyVillage

Press release

“One of the finer things around at the moment UK wise” Pete Tong, Radio 1

“Already earning support from DJs at Xfm, Radio One and Galaxy. Nate James is positioned to take his career to the next level in the UK” Music Week

“An album to watch out for” Rav, News of the World

“really like it, will keep playing” Eddy Temple Morris, Xfm

“Nate James, coming back strong” Ronnie Herel, 1Xtra

Following three MOBO nominations (Best UK Male/ Best R ‘n’ B/ Best Newcomer) and the international success of his 125,000 selling debut album, Nate James returns this June with his sophomore release, ‘Kingdom Falls,’ on self-financed label Frofunk, distributed by Absolute/Universal.

‘Kingdom Falls’ sees Nate on a more experimental tip than his well-received debut. Whilst his trademark melodies and musicality remain, the production takes a massive leap forward, with the Liverpool Session Orchestra’s epic strings, reminiscent of Massive Attack or even Trevor Horn, adding texture to a melange of funk, house, soul and drum & bass influences. “Madonna, Prince, Outkast, they constantly adapt their image and sound,” says Nate. “I think it’s important to evolve.” Discovering producer Danny S on MySpace, Nate was instantly inspired by his fusion of soul with industrial electronics. “We both wanted to experiment, to give the UK soul scene something different.”

The album opens with the chunky bass and stripped instrumentation of ‘Outta My Head’: “It’s about a relationship ending but you’re not sure why. You need answers and you can’t stop thinking about someone,” says Nate. Silken vocals fade as the track plays out across an emotional string arrangement. ‘High Times’ builds around syncopated bass punches, driving synths and subtle electro stylings whilst upcoming single, ‘Kingdom Falls,’ about Nate’s recent trip to Rwanda, perhaps demonstrates most the developments in his sound: Timbaland-esque stylings rub up against rough electronics and soulful vocals. ‘LA Dreamin’ is underpinned by shuffling bass, retro trumpets and ice-cool clicks, and was written after Nate returned from filming the promo for ‘Pretend’ in the US: “I’d had an amazing time over there with Vula from Basement Jaxx, then all of a sudden we’re back in London. ‘THERAPY’ is a soulful slab of pop driven by twisting shakes and written with Emily Friendship, from the perspective of a relationship counselor. “Sometimes other people can see things so much clearer than ourselves,” says Nate. “It just takes a while for the penny to drop.” ‘Ruminate Part 3’ closes the album, on such interludes Nate says: “They represent the time that I’ve had to make the album and how I’ve been able to ponder the whole process of writing and recording.”

Nate wrote the new material over the past year. “I’d been touring with my band and had a lot of time on my hands,” he says. “I was writing for the sake of it, but the travelling inspired me.” One trip was to Rwanda with the SURF charity in 06 to work with survivors of the genocide. “The situations I saw out there shocked me,” he says. “I was meeting women infected with HIV after being raped; children who didn’t know who their families were; men the same age as me but with a life that was a polar opposite. Those experiences made me look inward, you consider your own life, what it means and what you have.”

Recording started in London in October 06 and finished in LA in February 07. The album was mixed by Outkast’s mix engineer Neal H Pogue, at the same studio in Los Angeles where Michael Jackson’s Thriller was recorded, and features guest appearances from Vula Malinga from Basement Jaxx and Rod Temperton’s current protégé Emily Friendship.

Since his debut album, Nate earned two MOBO nominations in 2005 for Best Newcomer and Best R&B Artist, plus another nomination for Best UK Male in 2006. He was also nominated as Best Urban Artist at the 2006 BT Digital Music Awards and performed at the ceremony backed by the London Philharmonia Orchestra. His first actual trophy came courtesy of Italy’s Festivalbar, who named him Best International Act in 2006, after he beat off Scissor Sisters, Lily Allen & James Morrison.

On his European and Far East success, Nate remains shocked: “In the UK I don’t really get recognized; I’m just a normal guy who makes music for a living. In France, Germany, Italy and Japan the reaction is crazy. I’ve performed alongside Erykah Badu and Snoop Dog, have been televised to over 10 million people and David Bailey is shooting me for GQ Italia!” It’s a long way from the London showcase circuit where he learned his craft with the likes of Corrine Bailey Rae and John Legend.

“There’s so much going on, but I now feel like I can breathe in my own skin,” he concludes. “’Set The Tone’ was my baby, but this is all me.”

‘Kingdom Falls’ is a record unexpected of a soul artist: it will delight his fans and cement his reputation as one of the most talented, motivated and unique independent artists in the UK today.

>>Back to all Music Reviews

MyVillage, 06th June