Cause ‘N Affect

Born of a Tongan father and a Kamilaroi Aboriginal mother, Sydney-based singer David Leha had a troubled childhood, and wound up in prison while still a teenager. Upon release, he began a long slow road to straightening out his life – reconnecting with his indigenous roots, becoming a father himself and discovering his innate musical talent. In recent years, as Radical Son, he's released some notable hip-hop EPs, but Cause ‘N Affect is his first full-length CD – and it's a cracker.

While those early hip-hop influences are still strongly present, the matured Radical Son has obviously realised that his powerful voice is even better suited to sweet soul/R&B music, with the most obvious vocal comparison being to the New Orleans soul singer Aaron Neville. Cruising through an inspired set of originally-penned tunes, Leha and his solid band keep things positive and totally soulful. After a brief traditionally clapstick opening track, ‘Human Behaviour’ kicks off with a gentle lope and introspective self-aware lyrics. A soft street vibe dominates on ‘Do the Right Thing’, while ‘Rock On’ gets seriously funky, and ‘Ooweee’ heads in a light reggae direction. Elsewhere, swaying tunes like ‘One Dream’, ‘Talk to Me’ and ‘Footsteps’ wouldn’t sound out of place on a Motown compilation. Occasional spoken intros are read by veteran singer Archie Roach and Torres Strait rapper Patrick Mau.

A thoughtful, cathartic and openly honest musical journey of personal salvation, Cause ‘N Affect is a triumph. We’re all the richer for Leha having finally found his true calling.