Neneh Cherry performs 'Blank Project' from her new Four Tet-produced album

Feature by News Team | 11 Feb 2014

Live in session for WNYC and Studio 360, UK soul veteran Neneh Cherry performs the title track from her new Four Tet-produced album Blank Project, alongside members of Rocketnumbernine. Showing exactly why her step from behind the scenes back into the limelight is both timely, and a cause for celebration, Cherry belts out the track with a passion and depth of feeling rarely matched in modern pop and soul music. Blank Project is The Skinny's Album of the Month for February – read our review here.

The album was recorded in just 5 days with a focus on improvisation, with regular Four Tet collaborators Rocektnumbernine, and Kieran Hebden himself on recording and mixing duties. Speaking to Vice earlier this week, the Buffalo Girls singer discusses her long history in British music, the time she spent as a member of seminal post-punk outfit Rip, Rig + Panic, and the intensive recording sessions with Hebden and his collaborators. 

"The real vitality and spirit was coming from it being a little loose around the edges," says Cherry. "A little bit raw and a little – dare I say it – experimental. I think that it was really important for it to be driven by electronics. RocketNumberNine, they come as they are. They play it beautifully loud, and hard, and real. They were like the missing piece to the puzzle... Most of the songs were done in two or three takes...  It was never a thought that we were going to do it in any other way. It was more like '…when is Kieran going to have time?' Where, when, how? What week-long window appeared, it was meant to be that way. There was five days. There was no more time."

Yesterday, Cherry also unveiled her collaboration with Robyn from the LP, titled Out of the Black. You can hear it below.

http://nenehcherry.com