Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Forgotten Star., March 17, 2000
I think Neneh Cherry is underrated. Certainly underappreciated. Since 1989's "Buffalo Stance", "Kisses on the Wind" and "Heart", Neneh Cherry has been mainly forgotten in America. I think 1992's Homebrew is the best of her three cds. It has great songs like "Buddy X", "Peace in Mind", "Red Paint", "Move With Me", "Trout", "Ain't Gone Under Yet" and "Money Love." This is a great hip-hop/r&b cd that was generally overlooked by the public. A must have for any rock collector.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
VERY,VERY TASTY, July 25, 2002
After Neneh paved the way with "Raw Like Sushi" in '89,she came back to followup with "Home Brew" in 1992."Home Brew",like it's predocessor relies on a hybrid of singing and rapping.And a large pleathora of styles(rock,pop,soul,R&B,hip hop,you name it)
that make a delicious styling."Home Brew" is more instrospective
and subdued than the defiant "Sushi".Produced by husband Cameron
McVey(billed as "Booga Bear"),"Home Brew" was recorded in a schoolhouse turned home studio in Sweden.Opening perfectly with the jazzy "Sassy" which finds Neneh's playful braggadido and defiant self awareness opposite Gangstarr's Guru.With it's upright bass sample,"Sassy" turns out
to be one of Neneh's best tracks."Money Love" is a 'fierce' rock
pop-ish type track.While "Move With Me" has a unique ballad premise(it was co-written by Lenny Kravitz). "I Ain't Gone Under Yet" is a gem though.Poetic and effective,
"I Ain't" is a song about overcoming adversity under a jazzy
hip hop track.The track also features a priceless intro featuring Neneh's young daughter,Tyson:-) "Twisted" is a tight
midtempo track that highlights love's many complications.
"Buddy X" is a funky and catchy diss to Lenny Kravitz when Mr. K was going through his "unfaithful" days.But "Somedays" REALLY
stands out for a very intresting reason.It has to be one of the first trip-hop cuts to emerge in the early '90s.Produced by Geoff Barrows who'd later be a member of the trip hop unit Portishead,"Somedays" has the moodiness and dark undertones that
trip hop music would later be made of. "Trout",featuring R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe is a sex education track that was really popular on alternative and college radio
when "Home Brew" was originally released.
Yet "Home Brew"'s last two track really make an impressive.
"Peace Of Mind" and "Red Paint" are both atmospheric mood pieces.Both make you feel different after you listen to them.
"Red Paint" in particular is REALLY powerful.A atmospheric song
about a man who is murdered cold bloodingly in the streets while bystanders just walk over his blood.This is actually a real life experience since Neneh's mother,artist Moki Cherry,had
a similar one.At the end of the song,sirens blare and Neneh gently sings "Guided by the blue light/I'm on my way home".
It's a real meaningful moment. "Home Brew" proves yet again that Ms. Neneh Cherry was simply TOO ahead of her time."Home Brew" doesn't sound anything like
1992! It's diverse and forward minded.Ironically,Neneh's next album,"Man" would leave off where "Home Brew" left off.
It was more song oriented and leaned VERY much into trip hop.
That Neneh,you just don't know what you're going to get with her.And that's the thing that keeps us fans coming back for more.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Should have been a hit!, September 20, 2002
Many people had very high expectations for HOMEBREW, given how well her first CD (the excelllent "Raw Like Sushi") did. Of course, she had two top 10 singles off that one ("Buffalo Stance" and "Kisses on the Wind"). Unfortunately, her second CD didn't fare as well, which is a crime. I think that the main reason for its lack of success is also what makes this CD so great - it was years ahead of its time. Unlike the fairly straight-forward pop of her debut CD, the songs on HOMEBREW display a stunning amount of variety. BUDDY X is more rock-oriented, TROUT (a deut with Michael Stipe) is alt-rock (and was minor modern rock hit), RED PAINT is a beautiful ballad, MONEY LOVE is urban R&B, and so on. It's really difficult to accurately describe this CD because it is so diverse and sonically challenging. A few years after its release, a prominent entertainment magazine named HOMEBREW one of the 100 best CD's of all time; however, since that time the CD seems to have been scandalously overlooked. Fans of great music of any genre will likely enjoy this CD. Most highly recommended.
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by Neneh Cherry 
