[ aquarius records — International Africa ]

KOUYATE, SEKOU BATOUROU ET SA CORAs/t(Tembo)cd$ 17.98

Anyone captivated by the hypnotic grooves found on the great "Ethiopiques" series should check out this not-dissimilar music by one of Ethiopia's neighbors to the north. The late Egyptian bandleader Ali Hassan Kuban, who passed away this summer at the age of

RealAudio clip: Amira
RealAudio clip: Yah Nasma Yah Halina

A fairly recently recorded collection by the "James Brown of Nubian music." Ali Hassan Kuban has been both celebrated for fusing jazz / popular music with traditional Nubian music by many and reproved for debasing it by others. Nevertheless, Kuban made an indelible mark on Nubian and Egyptian popular music, selling millions of copies of his records in his 72 years. "Real Nubian" was recorded between 1997 & 2000 and demonstrates that Kuban was not shy, even in his golden years, to incorporate new and modern elements into his arrangements. So it should come as no surprise that this album has a greater presence of synthesizer and electric bass, but also harmonica, saxophone, bagpipes and even a little bit of vocal processing a la Cher's "Believe" on one track. It all gets a little too Peter Gabriel at times and maybe a little rich for some palates, but if you can get past the chilled white wine and restaurant dining al fresco production values of this album the same Ali Hassan Kuban spirit and inventiveness remains there underneath it all.

RealAudio clip: Gammal
RealAudio clip: Koma Wo Beda

Oh my god! We're overwhelmed with this sudden spasm of Fela Kuti reissue activity -- a dozen cds (many of them containing two LPs worth of music) in the last couple weeks alone, with more on the way! Needless to say, we're not YET able to offer reviews of each

KUTI, FELA Everything Scatter / Noise For Vendor Mouth (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Ikoy Blindness / Kalakuta Show (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA J.J.D. / Unnecessary Begging (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Live In Amsterdam (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Monkey Banana / Excuse O (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Open & Close / Afrodesiac (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Roforofo Fight (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA The '69 Los Angeles Sessions (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Upside Down / Music of Many Colours (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98 KUTI, FELA Zombie (MCA / Universal) cd 17.98

MPEG stream: Lady
MPEG stream: Water No Get Enemy
MPEG stream: Coffin For Head Of State
MPEG stream: ODOO

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

Record Store Day 2013 release!

Here's a mighty impressive set for all you Fela Kuti fans out there: two cds packed with his best (Gentleman, Zombie, No Agreement, Coffin For Head of State and more) and the legendary 1982 documentary on Fela shot in Lagos, Nigeria. While the running time is only 53 minutes, there's nary a moment of un-necessary footage. Along with shots of Lagos and interviews with Fela there's plenty of footage of rare live performances at Fela's Shrine club and at the collective where he and his group reside. It must also be noted that this DVD includes both the French and English versions of the documentary which are different -- so it is recommended that you watch both.

MPEG stream: Zombie
MPEG stream: Coffin For Head of State

Two disk anthology of Fela Kuti's grand ouevre. As the title implies, one disk focuses on Fela's jazz oriented cuts and the other on his dance elements -- though parsing those two, which are so entwined in all his music, is somewhat tough. Never the less, this is a pretty good introduction to the music of Fela Kuti, spanning twenty years of his prolific career (with tracks from as far back as 1972 and as recent as 1992) and is recommended to those who are curious about his work, but have yet to make any commitments.

Fela Kuti is on of those artists that's really difficult to pull off putting together a "best of" collection. Not necessarily because it's just too hard to choose selections for such an anthology, but because his songs are just too damn long to fit much more than four tracks on a disc. That doesn't really make much of a greatest hits album. I'm not sure whether this was Quannum intent on putting this together, but a DJ mix running through some of Fela's greatest tracks works really well as a best of. As a continuous mix The Underground Spiritual Game is able to retain the feeling of Fela's extended song structure, but also give the listener a taste of a variety of Fela tracks. As such this disc makes a fine introduction to Fela for those yet to dive into his extensive oeuvre.

MPEG stream: Trouble Sleep
MPEG stream: Unnecessary Begging

Here's three more in the continuing onslaught of reissues of classic records by the King of Afro-beat. Since we're still working sifting through the last dozen, again we'll just list that we have these and hopefully provide some more specific reviews at some future date!

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY. 4 songs, recorded in LA in 1969; cover is replica of first Nigerian Fela Kuti record, LIMITED TO 1000 COPIES.

Years ago, we were introduced to the genius of the "James Brown of Afrobeat", Fela Ransome Kuti through a massive cd reissue campaign of his '70s albums, many with 2 albums on one cd. While we never managed to review any of them for the website, our three favorites releases he made with his band Africa 70 (Live! With Ginger Baker, from 1971, and Expensive Shit and He Miss Road, both from '75) have just been reissued on lp and they are definitively some of the best and essential Afrobeat we've ever heard. Expensive Shit and He Miss Road were originally reissued on one cd (still available) collecting the five sprawling tracks of both albums together. But the two tracks from Expensive Shit, in particular, were some of the most politically charged grooves recorded. A little background: Africa 70, a band consisting of two large choruses (male and female) around a core of over a half-dozen musicians on horns, guitars, and percussion from the world over, was formed in the wake of a visit to Los Angeles and Kuti's exposure to the Black Panther movement. Changing his musical focus from love songs to social justice, he returned to Nigeria where he set up a commune like residence where his band could record and play and declared it independent of the Nigerian government. Singing in pidgen English so as to connect with the diverse populations of Africa and practicing Yoruba religion, as his music grew in popularity, he was subject to regular injustices by the government and military including illegal searches and seizures, travel restrictions and beatings. Expensive Shit refers to a legendary incident where soldiers tried to plant a joint on Kuti, which he managed to eat, prompting the soldiers to take him in custody and wait until he shat out the evidence. Legend has it, he was eventually freed after he was able to swap his feces for another prisoner's and thus the police had nothing on him. But the song and the B side, "Water No Get Enemy" in their epic lengths and ecstatic rhythms also serve as a call and response indictment of authoritative corruption and the counterproductive means in which governments wield power over its citizens. He Miss Road runs along a more communal trajectory across three tracks, but the sound is moodier and more hypnotic. Produced by Ginger Baker, who contributed and recorded regularly with Kuti throughout the 70's when Baker moved to Nigeria from England after the breakup of Cream and Blind Faith. The grooves are longer, jazzier and at the same time more abstract, punctuated by swelling organ riffs and Tony Allen's full-burn percussive rhythms. Live! with Ginger Baker is a scorcher of a set with Ginger Baker as guest drummer alongside regular drummer Tony Allen and since it was recorded earlier than the others, it has a tighter feel. You really feel/hear the James Brown comparison on this one. All three pretty damn essential!!

MPEG stream: Expensive Shit
MPEG stream: Water No Has Enemy

Expensive Shit and He Miss Road, two amazing records from 1975 now on one cd collecting the five sprawling tracks of both albums together. But the two tracks from Expensive Shit, in particular, were some of the most politically charged grooves recorded. A little background: Africa 70, a band consisting of two large choruses (male and female) around a core of over a half-dozen musicians on horns, guitars, and percussion from the world over, was formed in the wake of a visit to Los Angeles and Kuti's exposure to the Black Panther movement. Changing his musical focus from love songs to social justice, he returned to Nigeria where he set up a commune like residence where his band could record and play and declared it independent of the Nigerian government. Singing in pidgen English so as to connect with the diverse populations of Africa and practicing Yoruba religion, as his music grew in popularity, he was subject to regular injustices by the government and military including illegal searches and seizures, travel restrictions and beatings. Expensive Shit refers to a legendary incident where soldiers tried to plant a joint on Kuti, which he managed to eat, prompting the soldiers to take him in custody and wait until he shat out the evidence. Legend has it, he was eventually freed after he was able to swap his feces for another prisoner's and thus the police had nothing on him. But the song and the B side, "Water No Get Enemy" in their epic lengths and ecstatic rhythms also serve as a call and response indictment of authoritative corruption and the counterproductive means in which governments wield power over its citizens. He Miss Road runs along a more communal trajectory across three tracks, but the sound is moodier and more hypnotic. Produced by Ginger Baker, who contributed and recorded regularly with Kuti throughout the 70's when Baker moved to Nigeria from England after the breakup of Cream and Blind Faith. The grooves are longer, jazzier and at the same time more abstract, punctuated by swelling organ riffs and Tony Allen's full-burn percussive rhythms.

MPEG stream: Expensive Shit
MPEG stream: Water No Has Enemy
MPEG stream: He Miss Road
MPEG stream: It's Not Possible

Years ago, we were introduced to the genius of the "James Brown of Afrobeat", Fela Ransome Kuti through a massive cd reissue campaign of his '70s albums, many with 2 albums on one cd. While we never managed to review any of them for the website, our three favorites releases he made with his band Africa 70 (Live! With Ginger Baker, from 1971, and Expensive Shit and He Miss Road, both from '75) have just been reissued on lp and they are definitively some of the best and essential Afrobeat we've ever heard. Expensive Shit and He Miss Road were originally reissued on one cd (still available) collecting the five sprawling tracks of both albums together. But the two tracks from Expensive Shit, in particular, were some of the most politically charged grooves recorded. A little background: Africa 70, a band consisting of two large choruses (male and female) around a core of over a half-dozen musicians on horns, guitars, and percussion from the world over, was formed in the wake of a visit to Los Angeles and Kuti's exposure to the Black Panther movement. Changing his musical focus from love songs to social justice, he returned to Nigeria where he set up a commune like residence where his band could record and play and declared it independent of the Nigerian government. Singing in pidgen English so as to connect with the diverse populations of Africa and practicing Yoruba religion, as his music grew in popularity, he was subject to regular injustices by the government and military including illegal searches and seizures, travel restrictions and beatings. Expensive Shit refers to a legendary incident where soldiers tried to plant a joint on Kuti, which he managed to eat, prompting the soldiers to take him in custody and wait until he shat out the evidence. Legend has it, he was eventually freed after he was able to swap his feces for another prisoner's and thus the police had nothing on him. But the song and the B side, "Water No Get Enemy" in their epic lengths and ecstatic rhythms also serve as a call and response indictment of authoritative corruption and the counterproductive means in which governments wield power over its citizens. He Miss Road runs along a more communal trajectory across three tracks, but the sound is moodier and more hypnotic. Produced by Ginger Baker, who contributed and recorded regularly with Kuti throughout the 70's when Baker moved to Nigeria from England after the breakup of Cream and Blind Faith. The grooves are longer, jazzier and at the same time more abstract, punctuated by swelling organ riffs and Tony Allen's full-burn percussive rhythms. Live! with Ginger Baker is a scorcher of a set with Ginger Baker as guest drummer alongside regular drummer Tony Allen and since it was recorded earlier than the others, it has a tighter feel. You really feel/hear the James Brown comparison on this one. All three pretty damn essential!!

MPEG stream: He Miss Road
MPEG stream: It's Not Possible

Years ago, we were introduced to the genius of the "James Brown of Afrobeat", Fela Ransome Kuti through a massive cd reissue campaign of his '70s albums, many with 2 albums on one cd. While we never managed to review any of them for the website, our three favorites releases he made with his band Africa 70 (Live! With Ginger Baker, from 1971, and Expensive Shit and He Miss Road, both from '75) have just been reissued on lp and they are definitively some of the best and essential Afrobeat we've ever heard. Expensive Shit and He Miss Road were originally reissued on one cd (still available) collecting the five sprawling tracks of both albums together. But the two tracks from Expensive Shit, in particular, were some of the most politically charged grooves recorded. A little background: Africa 70, a band consisting of two large choruses (male and female) around a core of over a half-dozen musicians on horns, guitars, and percussion from the world over, was formed in the wake of a visit to Los Angeles and Kuti's exposure to the Black Panther movement. Changing his musical focus from love songs to social justice, he returned to Nigeria where he set up a commune like residence where his band could record and play and declared it independent of the Nigerian government. Singing in pidgen English so as to connect with the diverse populations of Africa and practicing Yoruba religion, as his music grew in popularity, he was subject to regular injustices by the government and military including illegal searches and seizures, travel restrictions and beatings. Expensive Shit refers to a legendary incident where soldiers tried to plant a joint on Kuti, which he managed to eat, prompting the soldiers to take him in custody and wait until he shat out the evidence. Legend has it, he was eventually freed after he was able to swap his feces for another prisoner's and thus the police had nothing on him. But the song and the B side, "Water No Get Enemy" in their epic lengths and ecstatic rhythms also serve as a call and response indictment of authoritative corruption and the counterproductive means in which governments wield power over its citizens. He Miss Road runs along a more communal trajectory across three tracks, but the sound is moodier and more hypnotic. Produced by Ginger Baker, who contributed and recorded regularly with Kuti throughout the 70's when Baker moved to Nigeria from England after the breakup of Cream and Blind Faith. The grooves are longer, jazzier and at the same time more abstract, punctuated by swelling organ riffs and Tony Allen's full-burn percussive rhythms. Live! with Ginger Baker is a scorcher of a set with Ginger Baker as guest drummer alongside regular drummer Tony Allen and since it was recorded earlier than the others, it has a tighter feel. You really feel/hear the James Brown comparison on this one. All three pretty damn essential!!

MPEG stream: Let's Start
MPEG stream: Ye Ye De Smell

THIS IS CURRENTLY OUT OF PRINT OR OTHERWISE UNAVAILABLE TO US AT THE MOMENT, SO PLEASE DO NOT ORDER IT. SORRY.

SORRY.

New album from the son of Fela Kuti -- the king himself -- and I'm sure it's just as hard not to draw comparisons to his father as it is for him to live in his shadow, but that's the way it is. Femi's got a big studio budget, uses all the appropriate "world

RealAudio clip: Walk On the Right Side

**MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** **MISSISSIPPI RECORDS ALERT** One of two new Mississippi Records releases this week, this one from L'Orchestre National De La Republique Du Mali, one of several groups (this one designated 'A' as they were the first) organized as the National Orchestra for Mali, on the heels of Mali's independence, featuring the best musicians in the country, each sworn to "serve their country by contributing with all their genius to the protection and revalorization of Malian musical art". As not all the musicians could perform in the same band, thus were born the different National Orchestras, those designated 'B' and 'C'. This version of Mali's National Orchestra was led by legendary Malian musician Keletigui Diabate, and the record is so fantastic, lush and melodic, with warm lustrous guitars, gorgeous vocals harmonies, and while most of the record is festive and celebratory, there are a few tracks that are a bit darker, more minor key, and those are the ones that definitely stand out, "Janfa" is the tale of a lost love, and sounds like it, intense and dramatic and melancholy, with some incredible and complexly melodic guitar playing, while "Duga" is an extended almost Ethiopian style groove, with tendril like guitars, incredible sung/spoken vocals, emotional and moving, the whole thing strangely and subtly psychedelic, those tracks perfectly balancing the rest of the records ebullience. So good. Pressed on super thick vinyl, and housed in a heavy full color sleeve, the back featuring the liner notes from the original release.

Ghana must be a really loud place. Even just based on the amount of honking that that goes on there. Vehicles honk often and repeatedly, to shoo pedestrians or cyclists out of the way, to signify annoyance with slow traffic or blocked roadways, to signify a desire to change lanes or pass, to get the attention of other drivers or just because they're so thrilled to be driving. Taxis honk rhythmically to attract fares, buses also honk rhythmically while their drivers sing out the various destinations. But there's more than just honking, sound systems blast music, stalls selling their wares broadcast songs and sounds, prayers are broadcast through large speakers affixed to the outsides of mosques... Sonic chaos certainly. But at the same time, all of these sounds merge into a strange sort of music, the sounds of a city going through the motions of daily life. Chaotic certainly, but also vibrant. Unique. And so alive. A joyful celebration of everyday activities. At the root of all of this sound is Por Por, the honk horn music of Ghana. Por Por, pronounced 'paaw paaw', an onomatopoeic description of the local drivers' honking squeeze-bulb horn music, was initially just that, the sounds of a city in motion, but eventually, the drivers who helped keep the city moving, took the sounds of their work day and turned it into music. Horns honking, found percussion, wrenches on tires, pipes on concrete, drums, pumping up tires, singing and shouting, those sounds became ritualized, and became their own music, with particular sounds and rhythms and arrangements, and a specific purpose. This music while a reflection of the city around it, was rarely performed in public, but instead, was almost exclusively performed at union drivers' funerals, those funerals very reminiscent of the New Orleans jazz funeral, replete with processions, music obviously, and coffins modeled on the various buses and trucks carrying the dead to the afterlife. The story of por por, of Ghana and its independence is a long one, far to intricate and complex to get into here, but La, the province from which these drivers and horn honkers hail, was critical to the resistance to colonial rule, refusing to pay taxes, fighting a proposed ban on por por horns, a strong sense of community, were all critical to the region's struggle for independence. So in honor of this year's golden anniversary of Ghana's independence, for the first time, the La Drivers Union Por Por Group gathered to record the music that had been such a part of their culture and their life. Recorded outdoors, in backyards, the sound of the city, the traffic, all around, the music of por por spills forth, effusive and celebratory, joyous and spiritual, complex and strange and like nothing we have ever heard before. A gorgeously ramshackle rhythmic workout, metallic percussion dense and spidery, a lush framework of intricate rhythms, beneath amazing vocal arrangements, but it's the por por that make this music so unique, honking rhythmically, strange melodies, sounding a bit like geese, an orchestra of squeeze-bulb horns, locking into looped rhythmic structures, hypnotic and mesmerizing. Like traditional African music being performed during rush hour in the middle of a busy intersection. Like Konono No1 but with horns instead of amplified thumb pianos. Most of the tracks seem to be more focused on the vocals, or the hypnotic rhythms, with the horns acting more as a melodic counterpoint. But some tracks, like the opening track "Por Por Akwaaba / Welcome" are entirely about the honking horns, sounding a bit like Philip Glass or Steve Reich composing for automobile horns, rhythmic and strangely catchy, and that is when Pop Por completely captivates, when the horns lock into strange cyclical melodies, all tangled up with the vocals, complete transporting us to the dusty streets of Ghana, horns in hand, honking joyously, letting the sound and the rhythms carry us away. The final track is especially stirring, with the Por Por group heading into the city, and setting up outside the union office, enlisting all of the drivers present, as well as enlisting the help of various passing vehicles, for a call and response salute to their Independence, the por por horns honking rhythmically, regular car horns held down, underpinning the proceedings with long keening drones, folks singing long drawn out tones, almost wailing, a dense swirl of droning honking mesmer. So intense. And moving. As with all Smithsonian Folkways releases, there is a huge booklet, with tons of amazing photos, extensive liner notes, as well as notes on each track.

MPEG stream: Otsokobila
MPEG stream: Trotro Tour Of Ghana
MPEG stream:

Lanaya are a trio from Mali, all three members of so called griot castes, groups who pass on the traditions and musics of their culture from generation to generation, responsible for protecting the legacy of their people and allowing it to live on forever. That's quite a responsibility for a young African three piece still in their early twenties, but their music is wise beyond their years, most certainly an indication that for this generation at least, the sounds of Mali will live on, a sweetly melodic, liltingly hypnotic take on traditional Malian folk music that is at once musically complex but also soft and simple. The instrumentation consists of the kora, a 21-string luteharp (played by Djibril Diabate, who you might remember from a past aQ list, and whose gorgeous album Hawa, also on Terp, we raved about a few years back), the balafon, a sort of African xylophone a bit like a marimba, and the ngoni, a small sized 7-string African guitar. The sound Lanaya conjure up with these instruments is truly sublime, a multilayered late evening soundscape of dense and dexterous melodies, dreamy and hypnotic, and so well crafted it's easy to forget how complex they actually are. The background is a rich tapestry of warm muted percussion and repetive melodic figures, played so fast and so smoothly that they sort of bleed into each other, each note drifting subtly into the notes beside it, the result is a slowly shifting warm and warbly dreamlike smear, while in the foreground, each instrument takes its turn with one extended improvisation after another, sometimes drifting and meditative, but just as often nimble and lively. The perfect blend of tranced out Eastern ragas and soft focus African folk music. Sweetly swoonsome and delicately dreamy. Perfect early morning, twilit evening, rainy day, drifting off music. So totally lovely.

MPEG stream: Jamba
MPEG stream: Kedon
MPEG stream: Djamana Djara

Long overdue reissue from this seventies African supergroup, which included legendary vocalist Salif Keita as well as Amadou Bagayoko (now one half of Amadou & Mariam) along with a handful of other notable musicians, all of whom were gathered together by an ambitious army lieutenant in 1969 who decided he needed a top notch band to entertain visitors and VIPs at his favorite hangout, the Motel De Bamako of the title. He of course needed a band as good as the other other popular band at the time, the Rail Band De Bamako, who already performed at another hotel near the train station! Les Ambassadeurs coup was luring Keita away from the Rail band, making Les Ambassadeurs THEE preeminent Malian band of the time, with a slew of hits, big tours, and even a handful of international performances! Beyond the back story, and the dramatic rivalries, the music itself is fantastic, a mix of traditional African music, jazz, R&B even some Latin American sounds found there way into Les Ambassadeurs music (and much of the African music of the time), and while the vibe is very traditionally highlife, an amazing horn section, lush guitar jangle, soaring emotive vocals, it's also kind of psychedelic, with some seriously distorted lead guitars, and plenty of wild xylophone, everything lush and layered, warm and softly distorted, rhythmic and funky, the songs effusive and bursting with energy, often slipping into groovy psych jams, before slipping right back into something a bit more traditional. According to the notes, the visiting VIP's and tourists would also bring some of their favorite records for the band, which they would dutifully learn in the afternoon, practicing for a few hours, before playing those songs the very same evening! The disc is housed in a full color slip cover, and includes a big booklet with liner notes, rare photos and reproductions of the group's various record covers.

MPEG stream: Bolola Sanou
MPEG stream: Nagana
MPEG stream: Saranfing

This recording of the Missa Luba - a version of the Roman Catholic Latin Mass filtered through traditional Congolese songs - was made in 1958 by a group of 45 teenaged boys under the direction of a Belgian Franciscan Friar named Father Guido Haazen. It's beautiful to the point that we're stumped as to what else we can say about it, which given how verbose we usually are is probably saying something. We will, however, relate an anecdote:�a few days ago a woman came into the shop, spent a good while browsing the stacks, and eventually made her way to the counter to ask for a recommendation. She was hippie-fied in a particularly San Franciscan way, and the only direction that she gave us was that she wanted a record that was going to "open her mind to new possibilities" (we know this sounds like a Scharpling and Wurster bit, but we swear to God that this actually happened!).�We scratched our noggins for a few minutes, asked her a few questions about what she did and didn't like, and played her a few things. She walked out with this record, and by all accounts the new possibilities are now a-flowin'...!� OK, so maybe touting Missa Luba as a catalyst for middle-aged, hippie enlightenment isn't the best way to sell it to aQ list devotees, but a quick straw poll of aQ staffers has this record popping up in the collections of at least 3 of us, all of whose tastes run to some pretty different extremes (on that note, all of us who happen to be lucky owners of the original US lp release from 1965 are excited to see a complete cd reissue that includes the performances of traditional Congolese songs that were left off the only other digital release). Again, it's hard to explain precisely what it is that makes this record so captivating, but there's something about it that is so emotionally pure, honest, humble and beautiful that it's hard to deny.�Perhaps it's the fact that we spend so much time listening to dark, hopeless, bleak music - songs about death and drugs and depression and misanthropy and whatever else - that when we hear something as unrepentantly joyous as this record, it throws us for a loop. It's a simple formula - songs of praise sung in a Congolese style by a boys' choir - and it sounds almost exactly like you would expect based on the description (those of you who were thoroughly blown away by the last song on the first side of Mississippi Records' Lipa Kodi Ya City Council LP take note!); however, if you're anything like us, you won't be expecting the effect that these songs will have on you. This is one of those records that grabs you and forces you to listen in a way that makes everything around you stop for a few minutes. Catholic or not, we're positive that's a good thing. Beautiful, essential, perfect.

MPEG stream: Banaha (Soldiers' Song)
MPEG stream: Gloria
MPEG stream: Sanctus

Super funky, awesome Afrobeat full of psychedelic fuzz guitar and female empowerment here, folks! Identical twin sisters Taiwo and Kehinde Lijadu (second cousins to Fela Kuti), were among the few ladies who managed to make it big in the otherwise male-dominated Nigerian music scene back in the '70s. It's no surprise they did, 'cause besides their good looks, they also had singing talent, positive energy, and an ear for a badass groove! All of which is evident here, on Knitting Factory's welcome reissue of their first album, originally released in 1976 via Decca's Afrodisia imprint. Danger is aptly named, in the sense that even the most rhythmically challenged among us will be in danger of dancing when this electrifying, hypnotic record is playing. Also, the Sisters didn't shy away from socio-political themes in their music, overt and otherwise. There's six killer jams here, including one rocksteady reggae number, all guaranteed to bring some sunshine into your life. The last one on side two, the 7+ minute "Lord Have Mercy" slows things down a bit, and weaves in some soothing surf sound effects, to make for a seriously soulful finale for the record. Although we recommend this to EVERYBODY, it's definitely for anyone who liked Academy's Lagos Disco Inferno comp, and Soundway's The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia In 1970's Nigeria (The Lijadu Sisters' "Life's Gone Down Low" from this album appeared there too), along with bands like Blo and Tirogo that we've had full reissues of before. And happily, this is but the first in a series of four Lijadu Sisters reissues circa 1976-1979 coming from Knitting Factory!

MPEG stream: Danger
MPEG stream: Life's Gone Down Low
MPEG stream: Lord Have Mercy

Though nothing is going to compare with his co-release with Mansour Seck, Djam Leelii (1984), this is certainly a much better album than his last release, Nomad Soul. Baaba Maal has turned away from the synth heavy world beat that he helped introduce and returned to an almost stripped down production which features his lilting voice, guitar, kora, bass, percussion and backing

RealAudio clip: mamadi

Senegalese vocalist's new album is very 'world beat', not as traditional as our longtime favorite record by him and Mansour Seck, titled Djam Leelii.