New Yorker Blu DeTiger embraces the restless energy of her hometown on ‘N.Y. Baby’, the title track from her forthcoming sophomore album, due November 6. Featuring Holly Walker, Say She She and Flavor Flav, the single captures the thrill of surrendering to a night with no particular destination, channelling that spontaneity into a suitably swaggering love letter to New York.
Naturally, DeTiger’s bass is the star. Soft and understated but impossibly slinky, its funky disco groove winds through the track alongside a driving beat, while flashes of trumpet and saxophone add to its distinctly 70s flavour. DeTiger sounds effortlessly cool and sultry, with the additional vocals slipping seamlessly into the groove rather than disrupting it. By the closing stretch, Flavor Flav arrives with spoken interjections enthusiastically bigging her up.
DeTiger’s self-described “boogie sleaze” proves remarkably accurate: ‘N.Y. Baby’ feels dirty, glamorous and made for movement. There’s a touch of Studio 54 fantasy in its strutting groove, but enough downtown grit to keep things from becoming pure nostalgia. Sweaty, sexy and gloriously funky, it captures that irresistible urge to stay out just a little bit longer.
