The story that Naïve ended up telling comes
from a cohesion of themes, ceaseless in my personal experiences living
day to day in the world. Although the album dares to tread on tact while
speaking poetically and lyrically about issues such as systemic
oppression, racism, misogyny, policing and patriarchy - I think the
album really just wants to reflect - to serve as a reflection - in order
to foster healing and healthy growth towards maturing. I feel it
commanding a kind of firm kindness as a reminder to love yourself enough
to accept others by way of accepting yourself.
Or continue reading about this symbolic album - NAÏVE - which was released AUGUST 2021 💛
Pressed onto this
180-gram vinyl are 10 songs i wrote while living in many different
places around the world. Spontaneous recordings of inspired notions of
song, written one rainy evening up high above the vineyards in
Banyuls-sur-Mer became Men on the Mountain. A Scrap of paper holding
jots about a sudden storm on a hot day in August while helping friends
on their farm in Puglia became Mouth of Autumn and Peace Through
Violence.
As I dressed myself into the fragile reality of the United
States, i became flooded by its manipulative social governing systems.
As the monuments of slave-owners, colonisers, and white supremacists
came crashing down in the name of responsibility and accountability, The
Bridge Works was built, a song about crossing bridges towards empathy
and equality.
Civil rights activist and American-Football quarterback,
Colin Kaepernick, taking the knee during the United States national
anthem pre-game ceremony, brought about So Long. The incessant murdering
of black, brown, and transgender citizens brought Woke, Scared I'll
Bite You, and The End.
The murder of Eric Garner and the feeling of
being choked-out and suffocated under the weight of systemic oppression,
brought about Still.
From all of this birthed the collection of songs
that is Naïve, a title given to the album by French Ghanian artist Eden
Tinto Collins. Although written both in Europe and the U.S., most of the
songs were performed and recorded at the end of the year 2018 in
Philadelphia, during the American-Holidays season. Still, Loving Him,
and The End were written in Philadelphia, but produced in Vlorë,
Albania. This helped serve as a reminder that the issues these songs
speak of are not isolated to the United States of America.
///
A1 Mouth
of Autumn A2 Peace Through Violence A3 Men On The Mountain A4 Loving Him A5 The Bridge Works
B1 Still B2 Woke B3 So Long B4 Scared I'll Bite You B5 The End
All songs written between 2014 - 2018 and performed, mixed,
produced by Ramona Córdova
Recorded in Philadelphia, USA (Recording
period December 2018 - January 2019),
Additional recordings made in
Vlorë, Albania (Recording period September - October 2020)
Mastering
engineer, lathe cutting — Matt Colton (Metropolis Labs, London UK)
