The winding career of gospel- and soul-powered singer and songwriter Nicole Bus was established with a couple competition wins in her native Netherlands, advancement to the quarterfinals of The Voice of Holland , and her 2009 recorded debut. At one point between her first two albums, The Heart of the Matter (2011) and Magnolia (2017), she told close collaborator Needlz -- a veteran producer behind tracks from the likes of 50 Cent, Bruno Mars, Jeremih, and Cardi B -- that she would one day sign with Roc Nation. Bus' dream ...
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The winding career of gospel- and soul-powered singer and songwriter Nicole Bus was established with a couple competition wins in her native Netherlands, advancement to the quarterfinals of The Voice of Holland , and her 2009 recorded debut. At one point between her first two albums, The Heart of the Matter (2011) and Magnolia (2017), she told close collaborator Needlz -- a veteran producer behind tracks from the likes of 50 Cent, Bruno Mars, Jeremih, and Cardi B -- that she would one day sign with Roc Nation. Bus' dream became a reality in 2018. Her first single for the label, "You," shot to the top of Billboard's Adult R&B Songs chart in 2019. Wrapped in layers of nostalgia, the hit samples the Charmels' Isaac Hayes/David Porter-written 1967 single "As Long as I've Got You" like Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M" did in 1993, and Bus echoes the chorus of the original out of devotion, adding her own timestamp only with references to modern pop-cult heartthrobs. For listeners encountering the song for the first time, its raspy ad-libs and wails can be easily mistaken for the work of Lauryn Hill or Jazmine Sullivan. On her subsequent third LP, Bus seizes this opportune moment, or kairos, as the ancient Greeks identified it, and goes a little further to secure her place in the throwback R&B continuum. Apart from TL Cross, who produces a couple tracks and assists on another, Bus works strictly with Needlz. They frequently repurpose breaks and other sampled elements inextricably linked with golden age hip-hop, and dip occasionally into vintage reggae stylings, like they've absorbed everything Salaam Remi and Wyclef Jean did separately and together during the back half of the '90s. The strength, grain, and perceptible wisdom in Bus' voice make her a perfect match for this approach. Bus stands out most and excels on the pulsing contemporary ballad "411" (which does quote Mary J. Blige) and the uplifting soul-gospel finale "Look Up to the Sky." The latter is based on an unreleased Isaac Hayes recording, and Bus sounds free from the weight of the past, embracing the fortune of working with a missing slice of musical history, coming across more like a fully churchified Carole King. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi
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