J.P. Bimeni & the Black Belts: Free Me - COMPACT DISCS

Title: Free Me
Artist: J.P. Bimeni & the Black Belts
Label: Tucxone Records
Product Type: COMPACT DISCS
UPC: 8435383647429
Genre: Soul/R & B
Release Date: 2018-10-26
Number of Discs: 1

2018 release. A royal refugee turned soul survivor. On his debut album Free Me, Burundian-born JP Bimeni astonishes with a voice that recalls Otis Redding in his prime whilst resonating with the soul of Africa. A refugee who's been living in London since the early 2000s, Bimeni sings songs of love and loss, hope and fear, with a conviction that comes from the extraordinary experiences life has thrown at him. A descendant of the Burundian royal family, Bimeni fled Burundi aged 15 during the 1993 civil war. Following three attempts on his life - at school he watched as his schoolmates were murdered, he was then chased by motorcycle militia-men and finally poisoned by doctors in hospital - he was given refugee status and fled to the UK where he's remained ever since. Music has provided the solace that Bimeni has needed to move forward with his life: "If I didn't have music I don´t know how I would have survived everything", he says. With it's classic 60s-sounding Motown and Staxinspired grooves the album was written by musical director Eduardo Marti´nez and songwriter Marc Ibarz and Bimeni imbues these tales of love and loss with his tragic experiences making 'Free Me' a deep soul soundtrack to his pained life: "When I sing I feel like I'm cleansing myself: music is a way for me to forget"

Tracks:
1.1 Honesty Is a Luxury
1.2 Same Man
1.3 Don't Fade Away
1.4 Stupid
1.5 Pain Is the Name of Your Game
1.6 Better Place
1.7 Madeleine
1.8 I Miss You
1.9 Free Me
1.10 Moonset