CD Review: Nina Cried Power EP by Hozier
Hozier
Nina Cried Power EP
Columbia Records
Score: A-
Four years after his self- titled debut album, Hozier returns with four tracks teasing his upcoming full-length album — and its quintessential Hozier.
His voice on each song is reminiscent of the Hozier we missed and love, but none more than “Shrike.” The bellowing, loud calls of the chorus and whisper of verses brings the listener into a near gospel-like space. Perhaps the message behind the EP makes this feeling appropriate.
In 2014 Hozier dedicated the “Cherry Wine” music video, which highlights the issue of domestic violence, as part of the #FaceUpToDomesticViolence Campaign. Now, with Nina Cried Power, he calls on the power of other political activists, naming Billie Holiday, James Brown, Joni Mitchell, Curtis May eld, BB King, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, Pete Seeger, Patti Smith and Bob Dylan.
With his latest EP, Hozier returns with a face we still recognize, but continues to evolve. If these four tracks are any indication of what’s to come, we can expect great things.
– Amber Mclinden
