The energy is rock, the feeling pop, the spirit jazz and the groove implacable – this is the magic formula of authentic soul singer Sandra Nkaké as she recounts events and details of daily life. Inspired by those whose fate has been dictated by existential choice, and with magnificent support from a rhythm section recalling the heydays of Stax, plus two poetic reedmen, this album, with compositions and lyrics by herself and her close partner, flautist-producer Jî Drû, packs a powerful punch. Old instruments, appealing arrangements, a retro-futurist atmosphere studded with echoes of sixties songs and soundtracks of cult films, a spacey production – everything here conspires to make Nothing For Granted an explosive manifesto where Sandra Nkaké’s rough-hewn voice rings out like a cry of freedom.