New Era Frequency is a nine-song album accented by the beautifully reassuring voice of Nattali Rize in collaboration with Notis. Rize, who was born in America but grew up in Australia, is of Native American and Samoan roots and channels a mix of R&B, hip-hop and reggae influences that stem from her work as the singer of roots band Blue King Brown. Notis is a Jamaican duo comprised of drummer/producer Wayne ‘Unga’ Thompson and bassist Jason “Big Bass” Welsh.
The group is fully behind the notion that what they create is rebel music. Rize’s website proclaims “Enuff corporate noise in the ears of the youth. Time to spread the truth.” After initially recording in Rize’s Melbourne studio, Nattali made the move to Jamaica to create with Notis.
Nattali and Notis are dynamic on “Midnight Remedy” with uplifting vocals and authentic Kingston verses. The record eases into a light-hearted reggae jam “Rebel Love” featuring vocals from Zuggu Dan. A “Rebel Love” dub remix can also be found later on the track list. The album evolves with horns and percussion converging with a fine guitar solo in “Mountain.” Often tip toeing between traditional, instrumental tracks and more produced, hip-hop reggae tracks New Era Frequency is safely up the alley of any reggae listener.
“We make music to inspire, empower and remember that We The People have the real power to control, manifest and design our own destiny” said Rize.
Fresh off of their 2015 Wakarusa performance and the recent release of New Era Frequency in early August, the frequency of Nattali Rize & Notis is resonating as the band’s outlook and creative processes are a refreshing alternative to the industry norm.
Recommended If You Like: Rebelution, Blue King Brown, Chronixx, Iba Mahr
Recommended Tracks: 2, 3, 1, 6
DNP: None
Written by Harrison Hipp on 09/02/15