J.P. Bimeni & The Black Belts Free Me

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 songs of love and loss, hope and fear deliver with a conviction that comes from the extraordinary experiences life has thrown at him. On "Free Me" tough funk jams segue into deep southern soul and heart-felt ballads, with a unique vibe present throughout this modern funk-soul masterpiece thanks to Bimeni's uplifting African 'soul' style. Whether it's the conscious funk of 'Honesty', the defiant, empowering 'Fade Away' or the tearjerker 'I Miss You', with each twist and turn Bimeni displays an astonishing depth with his vocal range. The fact that Bimeni has lived a life most extraordinary and lived to tell the tale makes these songs even more resonant: "When I was on my death-bed, after I'd been shot, they brought a priest to read my last rites" he remembers. " I looked at the priest and I said 'I don't feel like I'm going to die. I feel like I'm gonna' live long, meet the world and I'm going to prove to myself that the world is not just hate or killings.' For Bimeni, music is a way to survive: "You can't entertain the pain of your problems all the time – you have to put them away and let something else fill the space where it's just been pain, worry and terror."