- The vital pianist looks back on his 2017 album, a musical travelogue of his travels between the UK and Sierra Leone.
- Duval Timothy is known for his ability to connect with his audience by telling meaningful, personal stories with his music, imbuing his albums with substance. His breakthrough album, the RA recommended 2020 release Help, connected with more listeners than ever, leading to a reassessment of his previous catalogue.
Timothy re-released his debut album, Brown Loop, last October, and this year sees the reissue of his 2017 LP, Sen Am. The 11-track album is a body of work depicting his relationships with friends and family while splitting his time between Sierra Leone and the UK. The jazz pianist unfurls these intimate narratives via gripping solos, a meditative guitar-led collaboration with Nicholas Mandalos and the sampling of thought-provoking WhatsApp voice notes.
On Sen Am—meaning "send it" or "send him/her" in Krio—Timothy provides an audio diary of his visit to Sierra Leone. The musical travelogue hinges on the personal, but it also invites listeners in giving real insight into Timothy's life. On "Whatsapp" we hear Emmerson, a friend of Timothy's in Sierra Leone, inquire after his wellbeing, "Duval, good day sir! How are you? I hope you're fine and your family." The exchanges we hear on these voice notes demonstrate the way modern technology helps us maintain relationships. As a member of the diaspora, the simple note put me in a nostalgic place, reminding me of when I'd speak to my late grandmother in Nigeria via WhatsApp.
Core to Sen Am—and much of Timothy's work—is his evocative piano playing. Favoring simple melodies and minimalist solos, Timothy uses the piano to create a wide-open introspective space, with certain notes lingering strategically for effect. His playing is also unconventional, with tracks like "Whale" introducing complex voicings into memorable refrains, going beyond pretty melodies to reach a cinematic bittersweetness that lodges in the listener's head, as though we are along for the journey.
Sen Am, Brown Loop, Help and 2 Sim are a series of albums that double as absorbing personal voyages. On 2 Sim Timothy explores the "2 sim" experience, a slang term referencing his mixed heritage. Help focused on his dealings with the music industry and his mental well-being. Each has a distinct narrative, acting as a snapshot of a certain point in Timothy's life. Sen Am, then, is a document of an artist in flux, between the UK and Sierra Leone. It also portrays the development of a singular musical language that enables Timothy to document vital, resonant stories.
Tracklist01. Whatsapp
02. Whale
03. Introvert
04. Ball
05. Language feat. NIcholas Mandalos
06. No
07. Wahala
08. Nijo
09. Dust
10. Ibs
11. Emmerson