Raw Like Sushi

this is the most 1989 album ever recorded. four Danger Zone bass patches out of five

Neneh Cherry should have been HUGE. Buffalo Stance was, and is, huge because Buffalo Stance is a 5. Nenah was ahead of her time because damn does album still have it all. To paraphrase a lyric from "Love Ghetto", she hit a home run. Actual rating is a 4.5. All of the songs are good, they all just pale in comparison to the magic of Buffalo Stance.

It was a bit shit, and also a lot of fun. It is so of it's era that it almost comes across as satire. Also, absolutely love how excited she is for a tambourine.

Dated on release, this album definitely didn't stand the test of time. The samples are tired, the flow is weak, and the lyrics are a disjointed mess. It's pop trying to pass itself off as "edgy" by co-opting hip-hop but can't seem to actually pull it off. It wasn't good in '89 and it's not good now.

Oh! This album was on heavy rotation when I was a teenager. I always loved the attitude and the swagger. And I realise now that this album influenced so many of my future explorations in music (soul, jazz, hip hop). I don’t think anyone else was making music like this and the album was a wrecking ball to the charts - all those ballads and Kylie, Stock, Aitken and Waterman. She sang about subjects nobody else was - feminism, safe sex, motherhood - not a bunch of lovey dove nonsense. I really think Neneh Cherry is a hugely inspirational and influential figure - sassy, London/ European / American, kick ass, feeling, mixed heritage and proud - a great singer and classy rapper. Incredibly talented and underrated. I hesitated when rating the album - if I give this album five stars, am I really saying this album is up there with the White Album or Hunky Dory? You know what? I don’t know. And I don’t care. This is five stars for me. I love this album.

The first track is great, but the rest…

AWESOME

My immediate reaction was to file this under the most 80s pop ass 80s pop ever, but despite its pervasive radio-friendliness, it really belongs in its own niche nestled somewhere between Salt-N-Pepa and Massive Attack. There are moments where the lyricism feels as of its time as the delightfully dated synths, but Cherry comes across emphatically on the microphone be it rapping or singing, exuding a confidence that most MCs would kill to have. My only real knock against it is the thematic redundancy that stands out listening to these songs back-to-back: there's a three-track stretch after the opening singles that all tread in the same youth/parenthood waters, and it probably would have been better off spread out a bit more. Key Tracks: Buffalo Stance, Manchild, Outré Risqué Locomotive

This one had some bops for sure. Hiddem gem.

No. 93/1001 Buffalo Stance 3/5 Manchild 3/5 Kisses On The Wind 3/5 Inna City Mama 3/5 The Next Generation 2/5 Love Ghetto 3/5 Heart 2/5 Phoney Ladies 2/5 Outré Risqué Locomotive 3/5 So Here I Come 3/5 Average: 2,7 Nothing I really liked, nothing I really hated.

Tedious garbage. It sounds like it was made my a committee of people who had never listened to hip hop or R&B.

Loved this album so much

You can't say that Neneh Cherry wasn't inventive, and Raw Like Sushi is a quite fun album to listen to. Too bad that it also sounds incredibly dated.

Some of the song material is very specific. For example, not sure how I feel about the procreation anthem of "The Future Generation". Still, it's got great energy and Neneh shows she can hold her own lyrically. Does sound pretty dated though (I can pinpoint what year this was made, same with "Pretty Hate Machine"). Favorite tracks: "Buffalo Stance", "Inna City Mama"

I wasn't expecting this and it was a pleasant surprise. I don't think this list has dished out any other 1980s era female hip hop artists, and to be honest, I kind of forgot they existed with how heavily male this list skews. Probably not something I'd listen to again but it was decent. I was happy I recognized the sample in "Buffalo Stance" as it was from another album in this list!

This sounds like a missing link between 80’s pop styles and 90’s alternative pop. “So Here I Come” is a standout and a great example. Dense samples you couldn’t get away with anymore, like De La Soul’s classic lost albums. It’s smart and fun and has things to say. I remember Buffalo Stance and Kisses on the Wind, but there’s a lot more here.

Oh, I tried. I just really wanted to like this more than I actually did, because I got such a softspot for Neneh Cherry, who with 'Buffalo Stance' in 1989 and 'Woman' in 1996 wrote 2 songs that have never left my rotation playlists. But this album just isn't of the quality that I hoped for and sounds incredibly dated. And I can't help the feeling that in 1989 a lot of these songs were even then already feeling dated. Buffalo Stance is still an absolute banger though, and with

An 80s pop/rap album with one hit on it. One of the songs sounded like the theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Why the fuck is this on the list.

Tried to fuse a bunch of sounds together in the same way that a kid would try to make a meal by adding every ingredient in a fridge. But worse. A true 1.

TOPÍSSIMO

I first heard "Buffalo Stance" when it was initially released in 1988, and I didn't get it. I didn't think it was 'right' to mix genres the way this track does. I thought that if you're going to rap, rap. And if you're going to sing, sing. It was probably a full six months before the penny dropped, and I understood what she is doing here. I had been wrong and extremely short-sighted about how songs could be constructed and performed, and Neneh Cherry was visionary and right. And massively influential; artists mix rapping and singing within a track all the time now, to the point where it isn't remarkable at all. But Neneh was the first person to do it (or, at least, to do it in a way that was commercially and critically successful), and she re-wrote the pop playbook. I am ashamed ghat I didn't immediately recognise the genius of what she did here, but once I understood, I got it. I bought the album when it came out, and it is an iconic album of the 80s. It sounds of its time, but still pretty fresh to my ears. I love her confidence and energy, and the deft mixing of genres. It is no surprise that the Massive Attach crew were involved in the production of this record, and they built on this formula with their amazing Blue Lines album. The album is front-loaded with the singles, which I still enjoy. As a result, I realise that I usually only play side 1 (because that's where all the hits are), so it was a nice surprise to listen to side 2, and it also has pretty strong material, that I enjoyed hearing again for the first time in a while. She has such a great voice and a fascinating and original viewpoint. I had been thinking I was going to rate this four stars, but as I listen to it again, and think about how influential it was, and how fun it still is to listen to, I really am leaning towards five stars. Dimery's list has a real problem with under-representation of female artists. i often think he doesn't understand what female artists are trying to do, and can't see the value. And this is an explicitly and woefully female album, and it changed the way pop music sounds. And I really enjoy listening it. I enjoyed it at the time, and I enjoy it now. I think it has to be five stars.

This is a belter of an album, packed to the rafters with banger after banger. Love the vocals, the innovative rap style and just what Neneh Cherry did for Hip hop in general. I absolutely love that very vintage hip hop 80s sound but it's also so distinctive to Cherry in my opinion. Super fun and uplifting, yet very bold strong messaging throughout. Buffalo stance is obviously incredible but also Next Generation and So Here I come other highlights. Very varied throughout the album. Wonderful!

I was so stoked to see Neneh on this challenge. She's incredibly talented and should've risen to stardom but just didn't make it. Her song, Buffalo Stance, is on high rotation cause it's that good - perfect, in my opinion. The video is equally captivating & is a true example of late 80s hip-hop. I took a Neneh Cherry deep dive about 5 years ago & learned she's from Sweden (score another for the Swedes...they're some of the most musically innovative artists in the world). I enjoyed this album so much, I ended up listening to it on repeat. What a talent. 4.5 stars

Can't believe I've not heard this before. Love it!

Loved this.

Absolutely slaps. Love this era and genre. Buffalo Stance is definitely the standout.

Really love this album. The production is great throughout, but a funny thing is I think I like the demo of "Heart" more than the final product. I'm not really sure why Lauryn Hill gets pretty much all the praise for the singing and rapping, but Neneh did it about a decade earlier but is never mentioned. She is underrated because this record is awesome

Great album, confident and fresh and smart, making it OK to like hip hop when you are a metaller

Damn what a trailblazer. Watched her Buffalo Stance performance she did on Top of the Pops while pregnant, what a badass.

Absolute classic! An album that was part of my teens and it was a delight to revisit.

I had Cherry's Homebrew on CD back in the day (for the song Buddy X) but I don't think I ever listened to Raw Like Sushi. What fun! A lot of catchy grooves that captured the late 80s perfectly. Shame I waited so long.

“Buffalo Stance” is a terrific song - I really love it. So I’m ready to rate this a 5 from the get-go. I don’t recall ever hearing anything else from Neneh Cherry though. The rest of this album is a BLAST! Really great songcraft - I thought “Oooh that figures” when I read that Neneh is Swedish - and great vocals. Full of attitude but so infectiously delightful. Not to mention another song to add to my “once bitten twice shy” playlist. Really really terrific!

English accents, string ballads, dj cuts, man children, questionable social commentary, raw sushi, talking spanish, prepubescent sexual tension, slutty locomotives, mixed metaphors, incoherent writing structure, what does getting shirty mean? The nonsensical nature of the writing kind of makes sense considering she's Swedish. Can't deny it's an interesting thing to listen to.

Great album

Buffalo Stance might be one of my all time favourite songs. I listened to this album in full for the first time only a few months ago, and have to admit that I’m happy to have been generated it today, as it gives me an excuse to come back to it. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: all to some degree Favourites: Buffalo Stance, Man Child I love just how empowering this album is. It’s all about rebelling about the patriarchy, and that’s something we could all do with getting behind. It also has great beats throughout, and Neneh’s rapping is so fun to listen to. I still find it funny how she and Eagle Eye Cherry are siblings. There music is so different!

This album is crazy. It’s cheesy, catchy, and none of the songs are skips or boring. It all reeks of 90s hip hop and R&B. Nostalgic. Honestly glad I found this. I was surprised when I heard the OG lyrical sample from MF doom on My Bitch. Would for sure listen through again. 4.52

Started strong with a nice bop. Not a fan of the middle part of manchild. Surprised by how much I liked phoney ladies. I actually liked a lot of this album. Pleasant surprise. 4/5 I listened a second time, it gets up to a cool 5 because I felt good about it. I'm still thinking about this album the next morning. Wow

Great album. Whatever happened to her? Shame two tracks were withheld.

Hip Hop elements a little basic but damn she has her own personality and keeps energy up all the way through the album. 4.8

Non stop bops. This was such an awesome trip. Dated, yes, but in the best kind of way.

Go go to go-go

Revolutionary

Not my usual genre of music but I liked it

I dug this one. It gave me the throw-back feels.

Swoon. I love this album and her!

Just when you think it can't get any better than "Buffalo Stance," it hits you with "Manchild." Although the rest of the album can't quite top that opening double act, it still has an aggressive hip-hop streak that took female pop out of the 80s and into the 90s.

I know maybe two of these tracks - and one of them is obviously Buffalo Stance. Such a great late 80s track. The rest of the album doesn't disappoint. Particular favourite was "My bitch" - the pure joy of both singers having enormous fun shines through splendidly.

Rad

meh

Pretty corny but a fun listen overall 7/10

So much fun, dated, but great

pretty iconic 80s dance music, some songs were a bit dragged out and didn’t have a great sound listening 40 years later, but a really clean classic funky hip hop sound that makes ya wanna dance ;)

Not my thing, but actually I quite nice.. reminds me off my childhood

Cracking album

Super fun!

3rd Listen. Great album. Brings back a lot of memories of the times. :) 4/5

Fun album. It sounds exactly how I think 80s-90s transition should have sounded like.

Such good hip hop beats, OG female rapper

Extremely catchy

Fun, super feminist, late 80s pop/rap here. It's not really my favorite kind of music to listen to, and I'm not sure I'll be coming back to this one often, or ever, but I do feel like it's worth an extra star just for the confident feminism, which is rare in this genre. I feel like the production is a bit dated and it all sounds a bit same same to me, but the lyrics are killer. I'd give it a 3.5/5 but I'm rounding up because of the great content.

I really enjoyed this record! It sits within this liminal space between hip hop, R & B, and dance while also feeling like the perfect decade-spanning record. There's a few misfires, but overall, the vibe was something I could get behind. "Buffalo Stance" has not been far from my mind since my first listen! Favourite tracks: Buffalo Stance, Love Ghetto, Phoney Ladies, So Here I Come

Ég dýrka þetta albúm. Verð 16 ára aftur við hlustunina.

Buffalo stance is one of my all time jams. You can’t help but move when that song comes on!!

Hip-hop y R&B. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

liked and still like whole album, smart version of bubblepop, produced well and e.g. Manchild and Buffalo Stance and Next Generation as strong as when released. She was part of underrated Rip Rig+Panic, bit less smooth.

this album was surprisingly good! lot of catchy songs, and the beats had me moving through the entire album

Sounds great, my kind of thing. I didn’t know how varied her music is, and different from the radio hits Manchild, Woman and 7 Seconds.

Nice surprise. Gets kinda boring throughout, but pretty cool.

Stranger song is such a good track. I do like Leonard Cohen, been a while since i heard this. Knocking it down to a 4 though because it gave the animal house vibes when Belushi smashes that fellas guitar.

This is better than I expected.

I need to wear more neon 90’s gear

Pop, rap, freestyle, funk, destellos de house, breakbeat. Pensaba que iba a estar ya muy passé la producción, pero incluso en los momentos más aywey tiene mucho charm. Grande por lo que representó, pero también grande porque tiene buenas rolas.

I will probably never get back to this, but it's still pretty impressive, all things considered. Hip-hop vibes before hip-hop was "officially" invented, 90s rythms before 90s happened - all somehow implanted into 80s standards.

Buffalo stance...wow so good. Such a fun vibe, this chick can rap and her confidence oozes.

Solidly good album, she's got a great voice and the grooves are excellent. 4 stars.

1/28 Great, eclectic 80s genre-mix of an album. Standout Tracks: Buffalo Stance, Inna City Momma, The Next Generation, Phoney Ladies, Outré Risqué Locomotive

Good, I enjoyed the album, especially the instrumentals.

Love this album. Eminently danceable. And thought provoking. This album got me through that summer. 4.5.

HL: "Buffalo Stance", "Manchild", "Inna City Mamma", "Love Ghetto", "Outré Risqué Locomotive" 1st instinct was to say I've never listened or heard of this artist before, but a lil Spotify sleuthing says she was featured in "We Will Always Love You" by the Avalanches (one of my favourite lockdown finds). For one track, but still. I didn't anticipate to enjoy this as much as I did, after all, what other new jack swing have I listened to?- Michael Jackson? That is probably bc this is music for moving, and not sitting & contemplating. Good thing I was walking home from work when I heard this. "Manchild" is probably #1 for me on this album. "Locomotive" near the end is a really fun track as well. December 11, 2022

Weird late 80's pop with huge late 80s rap influence

Swedish punk? Who knew? Very talented with a cool mix of rapping and singing, she’s tackling some big issues but also showing a good sense of humour. I didn’t know she was so involved with Massive Attack and the Wild Bunch. A little bit drawn out and dated for top marks though.

So many memories!

Pas mal!

Disc d'estrena d'alta volada, començant amb 'Buffalo Stance' i 'Manchild', les dues millors cançons del disc i del millor de l'r&b de finals dels 80. També destaquen 'Inna City Mamma', 'Love Ghetto' o 'Phoney Ladies', però sobretot l'actitud i personalitat de Neneh Cherry, que ja no va poder igualar aquesta fita (fins al 2021 com a mínim), però aquí la seva estrella brilla amb molta força

Quite good stuff!

10/10 navn på album Dette vokste på meg, fra masse plagsomme lyder til å bli en bop

I enjoyed the music but the lyrciss were a bit basic.

So perfectly 80s

loved this

Funky and catchy. Absolutely not a genre for me, but this album somehow won me over - so a 4/5 from me is probably a strong 5/5 for somebody who's generally a fan of hip hop. Heart's my favorite track because it sounds like a Phineas and Ferb song.

Like Madonna, but way cooler

Very cool album! Not quite my style, but it is a shame Neneh didn't reach the popularity of others of her era (Prince, Madonna, etc.).

I love her sound & voice. Big fan of this album.

Buffalo stance!

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Buffalo stance, Love ghetto

What's 'e like? WHAT IS 'E LIKE? Buffalo Stance is a six (all hail Bomb The Bass), the rest is a three-star pottage of late '80s production tics, and none the worse for it.

This is kind of like a female inversion of Beastie Boys MCing, in the best possible way. This was a lot of fun to listen to, provocative and tongue in cheek the whole way through

Hip-hop y R&B. Me ha gustado. Un 4.

Really enjoyed it. Wasn’t expecting a vibrant synth pop based album and it delivered!

Hip hopnew jack swing. Un poco cansina.