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Essential

by Eki Shola

supported by
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝 thumbnail
𝕋𝕨𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕖𝕕𝕤𝕠𝕦𝕝 Thank you Eki for blessing us with this wonderful music! Favorite track: Eco-anxiety.
Franck Martin
Franck Martin thumbnail
Franck Martin A really nice cool Jazz album. Her voice floats on her music. Favorite track: Roots.
Paul Nicholson
Paul Nicholson thumbnail
Paul Nicholson If you haven't yet checked out the work of Eki Shola, you are in for an enormous treat and awakening. This is her sixth and finest album to date. Put it on, lie back and let the sound carry you off and away. You are guaranteed to return in a better state than when you left. I am proud to call her my friend.
Ivano Bersini
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Ivano Bersini It's fantastic ✨
notious
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notious Whenever I listen to your music, I'm simultaneously lost in the lush vibes and grounded by powerful messages of hope, community, growth, self acceptance, and agency in service of positive change. Another energizing, empowering album!
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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 11 Eki Shola releases available on Bandcamp and save 15%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of 還 (Kaeru), BHMEM, Talks of 21, Garden of Light, Jubilee, Essential, Drift, Possible, and 3 more. , and , .

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  • Essential CD
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    Photography by Eki Shola

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1.
Quiet 04:26
2.
Roots 06:32
3.
Incubation 03:50
4.
Trapped 03:35
5.
6.
Pondering on the following, reality hits me Like a bad asthma attack, breath kicked out of your lungs Confusion kicks in, no oxygen Dropping to the floor, speaking in tongues Scrolling through insta, birding through twitter Lovehating on facebook, wishing for connection more organic and simpler Seeing all the posts, I cry for starved and sold children Girls denied an education and boys turned into soldiers I want to give back, connect, and pave the way But am blocked by thinking that to make a difference I need significant pay 6’1 can’t fit in no leaf Ashamed to use gas, hating my CRV carbon footprint accumulating mass And let’s not forget about the glaciers melting because we’re not letting them stay cold The argument that global warming ain’t happening, is too damn old I love baby sheep - all cuddly, cloud and white Drive by farms appreciating nature, crying out “spare the slaughter’s knife” Able to be vegan out of respect for only just one day Hate to admit I love meat, was too tough to commit for life Hang my head low, hypocrisy, mediocrity, feeling full of demonizing monstrosity Navigating the polar opposites of life Wanna flee the apocalyptic ills of the world But wanna live with nature’s beauty that continues to bloom and unfurl Sorting out the recyclables what else can I do? Would love to increase the small list of what is compostable How can we create driverless cars yet still rely on plastic What are our moral obligations to this planet and who gets to pick? I want an action plan from unbiased scientists working in accordance with empathetic and ethical leaders open to journalists I’m hearing about humans overpopulating the world, keeping it real and simple We’re like a bad case of a spreading infected pimple You’re cutting women’s rights, limiting access to abortion and birth control Yet saying we’re utilizing and wasting earth’s resources all on our own Oh, and by 2050 Wallace-Wells on NPR said we’ll drop dead cuz it’s too hot outside Gonna be imprisoned in our homes, away from the human-caused damage we’ll have to hide Into the oceans plastic we hurl Toxic emissions up in the air we made swirl Raping mother earth of her diamonds and pearls Who knows for how long this crying, bleeding, heated up earth, will continue to twirl
7.
8.
9.
Youth 03:40
10.
Saturday Jam 04:02
11.
Blue Light 03:13
12.
Risk Reward 03:30
Standing high looking out This comfort and warm embrace Where do you wanna live No answer, want my freedom in so many ways Scary many times Have to take a risk if you want the reward To learn, love, and be Have to keep on looking forward Be at peace with the unknown Swaying near the edge, it’s cold The only way to expand Foot at the edge Jump Then we land Scary many times Have to take a risk if you want the reward But to learn, love, and be Have to keep on looking forward Scary many times Have to take a risk if you want the reward But to learn, love, and be Have to keep on looking forward
13.
Truth 03:26
14.
Eco-anxiety 04:05
Blowing it all out into the universe No time for the doubters but make room for the curious Playing through life with a sense of furious-ness Moved from east coast to the west Living life to the best Wanna play major festivals That break be pivotal Gathering connections, moving like an orb Hypnotic and surreal but it’s not macabre Parallel thoughts but united through rhymes Helps get us through these difficult societal times CBT won’t cure this eco-anxiety Afflicted with GERD from political satiety This ain’t where I wanna be Nor is it the future I want for they, him, or she Doing deep breathing, NIA, mindfulness, and self-healing Trying to recall hmmmmmmm sweet times of freewheeling Like back in the days when it felt easier Not swamped by depressing media. No internet, looking up stuff in the encyclopedia feeling now much more needier… Of peace, sanity, love, and soul Compassion, empathy, and healing unfold Hopefully less trauma to be reproduced down And transition to generational positive stories shared and told
15.
16.
17.
Coronavirus with self-isolation proclaimed a must Makes the hours meld together from morn to noon to dusk Idle waiting, panic not abating It’s the perfect storm for creating Wondering how to get my words out Live’s brevity has me meditating Mi nuh wah fi guh back to di same ting It’s happening, feel like its armageddon-ing But nah worry, lifeline will always ring Change the system Change the system Catastrophe opens up possibility Transmute fear into conscious disruptability Economy crashing, toilet paper rationing Medical personnel no PPE heading to the frontline falling Well-intentioned doc not allowed NYC apartment boarding Now they talking about doctors and drafting No safety or pay preying on our empathy and heartstring They need to listen cuz the medical system is gonna be done in Physician burnout needs redefining and major addressing Making positive change should be our unified mission And healthcare for all should be a mandated addition Change the system Change the system Catastrophe opens up possibility Transmute fear into conscious disruptability This crisis has me feeling like Sisyphus I’m confused, who’s legitimately looking out for us? Current legislation undergoing major relaxation Plan ahead and put affordable healing back into the equation Writing this song driven by inspiration By CTAs from docs all across the nation Social media uniting us in signing a petition, no more placation Bottom line, we need to join together and invest in unionization
18.
Jazzolation 04:16
19.
Pause 05:58

about

After the 2017 Sonoma County wildfires, writing music became a healing necessity for Eki Shola, a musician and physician, and subsequently, she wrote and produced a trilogy album following her 2016 debut album, Final Beginning. The first in the trilogy, Possible, symbolizes a moment characterized by hope and a determination to not give up after losing so much. The second album, Drift, represents the subsequent period of Eki Shola’s wanting to be cocooned within a movement that was rhythmic, comforting, and healing. The final album, Essential, is inspired by periods of contemplation and embraces newness and self-discovery through the power of voice.

Digital release and distribution on 9/9/20

credits

released August 8, 2020

All songs composed, produced, performed, mixed, and mastered by Eki Shola™. Keyboards, piano, percussion, electronics, and vocals by Eki Shola™

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all rights reserved

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Eki Shola California

Featured in PBS, NPR Tiny Desk Contest, and more, Eki Shola’s music transcends genre, as she seamlessly draws from jazz, electronica, and soul to create a sonic landscape all her own. A vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, & physician, Eki Shola uses her music as a conduit for healing. ASCAP Plus awardee, Eki Shola will embark on a Japan tour in October after releasing her 5th album, 還 (Kaeru). ... more

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