Niki J Crawford: The Genesis Block

Niki J Crawford is no rookie to the indie music scene. She, in fact, is levels above most of her peers, having played over 200 shows around the world and performed with artists including Santana, Snoop Dogg, Al Green and The Roots. On her latest – The Genesis Block EP, she unabashedly flaunts her perspectives on love and sexuality backed by her mature songwriting that masterfully blends R&B, soul and funk.

All of the EP’s nine tracks gleam with a soaring sense of confidence and positivity, which could very well be the central theme to Niki’s music, and is best exhibited on the opener Spread Your Wings. A strikingly identifiable character of Niki’s music is the way she uses multi-layered vocals and hefty instrumentation to create a surrounding wall of sound where her strong versatile voice fits right in.

Niki puts forth a variety of audible influences in her work to reach out to music lovers of varied tastes. Wanna See You evokes the groovy 90s sound of TLC, while Get Up hits you with its dancefloor-ready funk. Played, on the other hand, bears a likeliness to the style of R&B icon D’ Angelo.

Niki J Crawford’s The Genesis Block offers much to be enjoyed, with its bright and charming optimism, and of course, Nicki’s well-crafted tunes. Good stuff.

8.5/10

Favorite Track: Ridiculous Love

Track List
1. Spread Your Wings
2. Ridiculous Love
3. Your Eyes
4. Get Up
5. Wanna See You
6. Played
7. Round and Round
8. No Fear
9. Pain