A sunset is one of nature’s greatest miracles. Besides the visual splendour of sinking oranges and reds, it’s a conceptually symbolic moment of transition representing change, rebirth, and renewal.
Much of that richness is captured by Amy Rose Dowd, known professionally by her childhood nickname Bumpy, on her long-awaited debut album.
Kanana, translates to “land where the sun sets” in the traditional language of the Noongar-born, Naarm-based artist. The album is 10 tracks spanning world-class soul, opulent funk and jazzy R&B steeped in deeply personal ruminations on family, Country and connection.
Take the title track, where a weightless groove of smooth organ, double bass and plush rhythms support Bumpy as she elegantly sings ‘Djoowok baldga dji’ [“generations firmly united for a moment”].
It expresses the simple beauty of people brought together in the twilight and imagines that utopian scene from the sun’s perspective; “a sea of people sharing one moment,” Bumpy notes. “If only we could see that every day.”
Kanana follows Bumpy’s 2023 debut EP Morning Sun and fronting psychedelic disco-soul group Squid Nebula‘s full-length From Here To You.
Its genesis came during a First Nations Artist Residency commission with the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and Australian Art Orchestra, which became the live show Tooni (Bumpy’s Noongar name).
It was funding well spent.
Bumpy returned to Noongar Boodja [Country] with her mother to reconnect with Country as part of a language journey tracing the footsteps of her family and Elders. Her late Nan (and Bumpy’s namesake) Rose Whitehurst wrote the first Noongar dictionary, a legacy the family works to preserve and protect.
Fittingly, ‘Nan’s The Word’ is a soul-powered revelry given gospel uplift by “Bumpy’s Choir”, a 14-member collective featuring siblings Emmy and Ben Yarram, Daniel Dowd, and fellow artists Emma Volard and national treasure Emma Donovan.
Wise words Bumpy’s Nan once shared yarning over a cuppa inform ‘Lessons’ and its counterpart ‘Essence’: ‘Time is of the essence, time to learn your lessons’.
Those tracks are shorter pieces bridging together longer, luxurious joints.
‘Feel Good’ and ‘Cosy Comfy’ both convey exactly what they say on the tin, together representing the command of Bumpy’s backing band as they bask in lush, soul-funk grooves.
This ensemble can absolutely sizzle, but they also orchestrate more cinematic soundscapes.
Beginning with the rumble of yidaki and clap sticks, ‘River Skies’ renders a Wurundjeri Dreamtime story as the kind of spacious opener there simply isn’t room for on an EP.
It also smartly introduces the scope and power of Bumpy’s vocal control. She can rise from soft and vulnerable to soaring, powerful heights with breathtaking ease, carrying both subtlety and depth.
Witness her performance on ‘Maambakoort’ (“Ocean” in Noongar). It steadily blossoms from a contemplative, minor-key lullaby into a majestic, meditative climax, capturing the profound moment of arriving back on Noongar Boodja.
Similarly, ‘Pressure’ begins with lonesome guitar and mournful vocals; “some days it feels hard to try,” Bumpy confides. “There’s no time to feel alive.”
Written in the wake of the failed Indigenous Voice To Parliament referendum, the song struggles with tough emotions before flourishing into a breathtaking crescendo where Bumpy commits to resilience.
As she sings about taking ownership of her space and identity, and taking solace tin community, it’s as effective at piercing you deeply as the more laid-back, feel-good tracks are at comforting.
It’s testament to Bumpy’s authenticity and her commitment to bringing her whole self to her art. Kanana solidifies her artistic voice, one you’ll benefit from listening to and learning from.
