Born again

>> N'Dea Davenport finds her way home

by GERARD DEE

"I specifically want to allow people the opportunity to know what my background is and what musical influences have made an impact on me," says eclectic soul singer N'Dea Davenport. "I got most of my exposure from acid jazz, but that's not where I start and that's not where I stop."

Indeed, on her first solo project, the former Brand New Heavies lead singer offers a delicious mixture of R&B, folk, rock and a hint of New Age. The self-titled album is also music for the mind, as it delves into topics like treatment of the aged and encouragement for youth.

Davenport's goal of constantly shifting genres as she explores these varied topics is as much a result of her background as a need to defy categorization.

"Another reason I've chosen to do this type of record is to have more emphasis on diversity and not allow radio or record people to dictate how people should present themselves," she says. "To some degree, I can understand having a specific genre, but to actually segregate a person's expression, I think that's so wrong.

"There are so many different things that help form the creativity or the opinions of a person," she continues. "I'm influenced as much by soul as by country, as much by rock as funk as hip hop as drum & bass--and I wanted to display that on my CD."

Davenport also displays a knack for multi-layered writing. Many of her songs, like the absorbing "Placement for the Baby," mean more than meets the ear.

"It's an encouraging message from a woman to a baby about the twists and turns of life," she says of the track. "In a weird way, it's also a message to myself. I was really starting over after I left the band, starting in a new city, re-acquainting myself with the States, and starting this project."

New Orleans was where Davenport felt the need to be when she left the Heavies and her adopted home, London, two years ago.

Moving to the South was a homecoming of sorts, since she was born and raised in Georgia. But the jewel of Louisiana also offered her some historical perspective and new creative forces to mine.

"It's a city that reflects totally the spirit and movement of music," she says. "It's so inspiring and so pure in that it keeps itself intact--the legacies, the history of music."

The singer says she's totally at home in Bayou country, a fact she credits in part to her French West African lineage. "I think that's why I'm naturally attracted to French-speaking cities or French cultures. Why I spend time in Paris, why I moved to New Orleans. Why I think Montreal is an amazingly special place, as well."

At Cabaret, Tuesday, October 27, 9pm, $10