{"product_id":"j-p-bimeni-the-black-belts-free-me","title":"J.P. Bimeni \u0026 the Black Belts: Free Me - COMPACT DISCS","description":"\u003cb\u003eTitle: \u003c\/b\u003eFree Me\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eArtist: \u003c\/b\u003eJ.P. Bimeni \u0026amp; the Black Belts\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eLabel: \u003c\/b\u003eTucxone Records\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eProduct Type: \u003c\/b\u003eCOMPACT DISCS\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eUPC: \u003c\/b\u003e8435383647429\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eGenre: \u003c\/b\u003eSoul\/R \u0026amp; B\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eRelease Date: \u003c\/b\u003e2018-10-26\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eNumber of Discs: \u003c\/b\u003e1\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \n                                         \u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \n                                         \n                                         2018 release. A royal refugee turned soul survivor. On his debut album Free Me, Burundian-born JP Bimeni astonishes with a voice that recalls Otis Redding in his prime whilst resonating with the soul of Africa. A refugee who's been living in London since the early 2000s, Bimeni sings songs of love and loss, hope and fear, with a conviction that comes from the extraordinary experiences life has thrown at him. A descendant of the Burundian royal family, Bimeni fled Burundi aged 15 during the 1993 civil war. Following three attempts on his life - at school he watched as his schoolmates were murdered, he was then chased by motorcycle militia-men and finally poisoned by doctors in hospital - he was given refugee status and fled to the UK where he's remained ever since. Music has provided the solace that Bimeni has needed to move forward with his life: \"If I didn't have music I don´t know how I would have survived everything\", he says. With it's classic 60s-sounding Motown and Staxinspired grooves the album was written by musical director Eduardo Marti´nez and songwriter Marc Ibarz and Bimeni imbues these tales of love and loss with his tragic experiences making 'Free Me' a deep soul soundtrack to his pained life: \"When I sing I feel like I'm cleansing myself: music is a way for me to forget\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTracks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1.1 Honesty Is a Luxury \u003cbr\u003e1.2 Same Man \u003cbr\u003e1.3 Don't Fade Away \u003cbr\u003e1.4 Stupid \u003cbr\u003e1.5 Pain Is the Name of Your Game \u003cbr\u003e1.6 Better Place \u003cbr\u003e1.7 Madeleine \u003cbr\u003e1.8 I Miss You \u003cbr\u003e1.9 Free Me \u003cbr\u003e1.10 Moonset\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"J.P. Bimeni \u0026 the Black Belts","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":32422851510343,"sku":"36646579","price":13.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2976\/0132\/files\/3822262_5ab2396a-ece1-49ba-94fc-a8914f8be43c.jpg?v=1747798726","url":"https:\/\/tower.com\/products\/j-p-bimeni-the-black-belts-free-me","provider":"Tower Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}