Unchangeable – Don Bonya (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

With the unmissable and vibrant sounds of Afrobeat grooves and more pop-centric moves, deft and dexterous vocal salvos and skittering, trap-infused percussive beats, chant-like harmonies and spacious dance-vibes running through it, Unchangeable is both full of recognisable sonics yet, when taken as a whole remarkably original. And, given its blend of far-flung sonics and myriad cultural inclusions, who would have thought that such a song would emanate from London’s cold streets?

But with London, as with most cities, everyone is from somewhere else, and so the idea of music infused from strands garnered from everywhere from West Africa to the West Indies as well as the city’s very own eclectic and fascinating music scenes, is not so surprising. Especially when you consider that people have been moving through the capital mixing and melding and matching and moulding and making music for perhaps two millennia.

Unchangeable is a defiant song that sees Don Bonya standing proud and secure with who he is. The detractors can watch as he goes about his business, and this poetic statement of intent runs over some cool grooves – spacious, seductive, soulful and smartly woven together.

The great thing about urban music, and I mean that in the sense of music made in cities, is that the broad mix of the population adds another moving part to their diverse landscape, one already beholden to the fads and fashions, the sounds and styles, the blends of trend and culture. Unchangeable is both a timeless lyrical sentiment and a fleeting sound from this ever-moving, ever-changing, creative ocean. It is that fluidity, that constantly moving scene, that makes musical flash points such as this song and artists like Don Bonya, such critical musical bellwethers and iconic cultural markers in general.