Niko

Brassy singer Niko was born to Japanese/Spanish parents, lives in Seattle but always ends up recording in England, and used to sing straight jazz before hooking up with the hip-hop/electronica/dance crew at Manchester, England's great Grand Central label. If that's a lot to take in, wait till you hear the brilliant Life on Earth. Jazzy electro-funkers Mark Rae, Mr. Scruff, and Aim provide the cool production while Niko supplies the comely spark. Her vocal style is a great combo of free and driven. Dig her infectious scatting on "You're My Favourite Music" or her soulful yearning on "All I Do" and you've got Amy Winehouse meets N'Dea Davenport uptown. As ambitious as its title, Life on Earth gives you a dizzying first listen, but the songwriting is there and the album is rich with attitude. Things go from nocturnal and gritty to bright and uplifting with ease, mostly due to Niko's conviction and the rock-solid grooves. Electronics give way to acoustics and the album softens nicely toward the end, adding a nearly perfect arc to Life on Earth's already long list of positives. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide