There’s something about the sound of British-Kenyan singer Papa’s latest single that I find so compelling. The Map isn’t like a lot of track out there in the way that it actually fuses country and electronics together, I know Lil Nas X has made this style extremely popular over the past few months but this track offers a different outlook. It takes the traditional acoustic styled melody from classic country singers (think Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash) and adds a little electronic flair until the final third where the electronics take over in a beautifully fluid motion.
Whilst the production is what makes this track work so well (credit to Papa and Zubi there) it’s the voice that brings it all together. Papa has a certain quality to the tone of his voice that is reminiscent of the old country road style singers but has a flair that doesn’t make in an imitation, it’s more of a gesture to the past whilst being and outlook to what the future of this genre might entail.
