Canadian soul singer Justin Nozuka delivers his second album You I Wind And Sea, taking us on a predominantly acoustic journey, and expressing a sound that seems wise beyond his twenty-two years.
Nozuka's previous album Holly (named after his mother) was already in the works when he was at the tender age of twelve, with some of the songs on the debut written at just fifteen. This latest album similarly portrays a soulful, rational approach to teenage angst. You I Wind Land And Sea retains a lot of the maturity featured on Holly, but with less onus on his jaded love-life and more of a focus on external, heavier subjects such as world events and abuse.
It's obvious Nozuka is influenced by soul legends like Lauryn Hill and Marvin Gaye, but like many new artists, Nozuka attempts to define his music by allocating his sound to his own genre: alt/soul.
The track Gray has a tribal feel to it, using chimes and soft percussion to introduce us to an album in which the mood changes in every track. In the song Hollow Men, his growing maturity is showcased in his lyrics, while the melodies emanate a more confident musician, and here it is clear that Nozuka is growing up through his music.
This maturity could be attributed to his work with charities like World Vision, Free The Children and War Child. Nozuka, along with fifty other Canadian artists, also donated his vocals to a reworked version of K'naan's Wavin' Flag to help Haiti. Clearly, his passion for greater issues is reflected in the themes of this album.
With internet buzz labelling him a 'Canadian-cutie' when the album hasn't even charted yet, Nozuka will no doubt be seeing success with his second offering. Let's hope he keeps his raw soulful edge and doesn't sign any modelling contracts just yet!
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