Detroit writer Dina Peace’s blog Musickhead is “for those special people who love to blow the dust off of forgotten. obscure or underground hits.” Check out our interview:
With the discerning eye of a journalist and the soul of a rock and roll musician, Detroit-based funk disciple Nadir Omowale has made a career of speaking his mind on what is affecting the world and its inhabitants that range from matters of the heart, economics and yes, politics.  Omowale, whose first name is Jonah, encounters a whale of an issue allegorical to the narrative of his famous Biblical namesake with his new musick video, “Guantanamo”.
Workin’ For The Man was named Outstanding Urban/Funk/Hip Hop Recording, and Nadir was honored as Outstanding Urban/Funk Vocalist.
Thanks to Akanke Rashad-Omowale, Nancy Schoenheide-Phares, all the members of the Distorted Soul band, all the musicians and producers who contributed their talents to the Workin’ For The Man project, all the djs and press who have given us so much love, and all the family and friends who helped make this project possible.
Oh… and a special shout out to George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and the entire Dubya administration for screwing up the world and inspiring much of the political material that appears on this record. Thanks A LOT!
Nadir’s Workin’ For The Man cd received another great review, this one from Germany’s SoulSite.de. On the site’s Sonic Soul section, Joerg Michael Schmitt offers his perspective on the latest new music from around the world.
If you Sprekense de deutsch you can read the original review HERE. For you English speakers, here is the translation, courtesy of my big brother, James Kevin McFarland (aka The Big Black Guy). And don’t worry. Joerg confirms that my brother, the poet, didn’t take poetic license with the text.
Distorted, meaning: bent, twisted, deformed, or unusual. Aha! Now it has been made clear that Nadir’s “Working for the Manâ€, is not simply classified as Nu soul, or R&B, but that he has forged his own way into the Universe of Soul.
The man takes strong elements from the styles of the past, including the energy of James Brown which lends a rhythmic basis to Nadir’s distinct guitar sound. And of that sound, the artist sees himself as a commentator of political events and holds strong opinions he openly shares on a diverse profusion of issues not only in the U.S. today, but the world.
Funk & Rock and political awareness make an explosive mixture because Nadir and his smooth energetic music are on point with his driving beats, hard hitting guitar and radical opinions. Nadir, in the tradition of Gil Scott Heron with the power of James Brown and the explosive force of Public Enemy equals Molotov Soul. Not easy, but easy to move to as Nadir himself explains it “I’m about telling stories, singing songs, and making music that moves people spiritually, emotionally, physically, politically, what ever. Don’t just sit there, do not sit there, do something! Do Something!”
Anybody searching for some political anthems to fire them up during the last week of “decision 08” will find it hard to do better than the work presented by Nadir and his band Distorted Soul on the soul/funk/rock band’s latest effort, Workin’ For the Man. Quite simply, this album is stocked with powerful songs that are at once angry, eloquent, passionate, insightful and very, very good.
