Tank And The Bangas, , NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert 2017

Bob Boilen, March 10, 2017 Out of over 6, 000 entries more submissions than we ve ever received Tank And The Bangas won, unanimously, this year s Tiny Desk Contest. I fully expected their victory performance here at NPR headquarters in D. C. to be celebratory. I didn t know we d all end up in tears. This band combines R B with hiphop s poetry and rollercoaster storytelling, with a flair and alchemy that could only come from New Orleans. Their winning song, Quick, mixes liquor and revenge a sort of modern day take on a great folk tale, but peppered with their own idiosyncratic flair and humor. What I couldn t see, until they took over my desk, was the depth of their lyricism and the versatility of their players. At one moment funfilled funk, the next laidback jazz, rhythmdriven blues and it all flows seamlessly. And it s fun to watch: There s a magic kinship between Tarriona Tank Ball and Anjelika Jelly Joseph as they share singing roles, like two best friends finishing one another s senten