Neneh Cherry

Arguably the best single of 1989, Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" is layered like lasagna. The British-bred daughter of legendary jazz performer Don Cherry is a former punk rocker and she's definitely has that genre's sneer. The airy synth lines that introduce "Buffalo's" chorus point to mid-'80s synth pop, while the cuts and breaks are products of American hip-hop. Lean even closer and you can hear a sense of spiky entitlement as she introduces the track's individual instruments and proceeds to do her best Run impression, all of which makes this a groundbreaking single from a classic album.

Talk about a sign of the times: Earlier in the decade, Neneh Cherry was a peripheral
member of the postpunk warriors the Slits, then played anarchic funk with Ríp Rig and
Panic. Now, on her solo debut, Cherry reappears as a hip-hop adventurer. Raw Like Sushi
is an artsy interpretation of current dance styles that recognizes the music as today's most
inventive and self-expressive form while attacking the social attitudes that comm... More >

Daughter of a Swedish artist and an African percussionist, stepdaughter of Don Cherry and the London scene, she's a twenty-four-year bohemian, a socially responsible hedonist, a sexy two-time mom--and a relief from bimbo macho and exchangeable female dance phenoms. Slogan: "I know where I'm goin' and where I'm comin' from." Alternative: "If you're gonna do it, you've got to do it right." And oh yeah: "I came already." The music doesn't quite rock one's house. But it's far more beatwise than the Brit norm, and she can sing/talk that song/rap. Bohos who sell--the most interesting kind. (Grade - A-)