Nia Cephas - Cosmicpolitan CD

On Cosmicpolitan, singer, guitarist and songwriter Nia Cephas lets her creativity flow. Arrangements include bossa nova, samba, Middle Eastern folk, pop, blues, reggae and jazz. Cephas, and the musicians backing her, followed their instincts, tracing her multicultural journey from her birthplace in Orange, California to her Oakland home.

Cephas was discovered by award winning blues singer-songwriter Alabama Mike. He heard her play “400 Years,” one of the songs on Cosmicpolitan, and invited her to sit in with his band at a Little Village Artist Appreciation gig. Jim Pugh, head of the Little Village label, was impressed by her stage presence and asked her to record some demos. When he heard the results, Pugh signed her to a deal.

Cosmicpolitan was recorded at Kid Andersen’s Greaseland Studios, with an impressive cast, including Andersen (Rick Estrin & The Nightcats) on guitar, keys and assorted stringed instruments; Pugh (Robert Cray, B.B. King) on keys; Jerry Jemmott (Aretha Franklin, Eddie Palmieri) on bass; Derrick D’Mar Martin (Little Richard) and Gary Novak (Alanis Morissette, George Benson) on drums; Endre Tarczy (Marcel Smith, Wee Willie Walker) on bass and piano; Jon Otis, son of Johnny Otis (Jon Otis & Blubeatz), on percussion; Lisa Andersen (Foreverland, American Idol) on background vocals and Rosane Duarte, Cephas’ mother, on piano and background vocals. The CD was produced by Kid Andersen, Alabama Mike and Jim Pugh.

Standouts include the bossa nova of “Frequencia,” a nod to the singer’s Afro-Brazilian background; “Autumn Nights,” a ballad with a reggae backbeat and “400 Years,” a folk rock tune, describing the way slavery resonates today.

The performances on Cosmicpolitan are a reflection of the resilience Cephas has shown in her offstage life. She studied music at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, but a car accident in 2019 destroyed her right arm, leaving her unable to play guitar. Practicing fingerpicking, and physical therapy returned her ability to play and compose music.

“I hope my audience can take heart and join me in the feeling that, despite what one may be going through, everything is going to be all right in the end.”