Seun Kuti and Egypt 80- A Long Way to the Beginning (2014)

Seun Kuti and Egypt 80- A Long Way to the Beginning (2014)

 

It would be a hard task trying to fill LEGENDARY Nigerian Musician Fela Kuti`s shoes, although these days afro beat has become a really world rhythm with orchestras practicing it all over the world, of course Fela`s mantle falls directly on his descendants shoulders, proven trailblazers Femi, the oldest issuing brave and varied recordings and the youngest trying to recapture the spirit of the father with rabid and intense recordings backed by really great friends like the might Brian Eno and Egypt 80, the one tome Fela`s legendary backing band. 

A Long Way to the Beginning marks the return of Seun, inheriting one of the most exciting bands in Africa might be a blessing and a curse at the same time, so much power and experience must be hard to use and direct, but at its young age Seun is a veteran who seems destined, maybe more than Femi to fill his father enormous afro beat shoes, yes, Femi displays a natural desire to experiment with afro beat sounds in a more musical way, while Seun seems more obsessed with Fela`s attitude and fury, so the musicality of Egypt 80 works as perfect counterbalance to his emanating and erupting power.  

From Africa with Fury: Rise was an amazing recording done in 2011 with Seun performing under the guidance of one of Fela`s greatest fan: the GREAT Brian Eno, who lent Seun some of his ability to create powerful and vibrant sounds, although perhaps Eno might not be the best company for Seun afro beat endeavors, but without a doubt Eno helped Seun to be set on route towards greatness, as Seun this time has chosen to work with a great jazz and hip hop producer Robert Glasper a man who takes Seun into a route towards a more rawer and expansive sound, which undoubtedly will open new doors for Seun and afro beat.   

The recording opens with the powerful balls to the wall IMF, a virulent attack in the best tradition of the Kuti family, rabidly spewing venom about the International Monetary Fund and their credit politics on Africa, Seun is enormous almost getting under Fela`s skin in this one, empowered by a massive brass section setting fire on the recording, this along a ground shaking rhythm section in the tradition of the GREAT Tony Allen, shaky and nervous funk guitars, a little hip hop courtesy of African MCs, and full of start-stop beats, with a bass so powerful that surely would make Flea so envious about it.

Percussive guitars lines and monstrous bass confront the burning brass section at the beginning of African Airways, once again is amazing the polyrhythmic onslaught on this one, interacting with little spidery guitar lines, while the brass takes a heavy detour into the world of high life and jazz, lifting the tune gloriously into the airs, all this energized by a massive women chorus, which to amazing effect put the tune into highly psychedelic mood, add to all this those staccato attacks of sounds, and the effect you end up getting is as close as street revolution you might get in your life, this is a dangerous record, one who evokes revolution in the streets everywhere, Seun comes in a moment of really world turmoil, with a powerful record that would make his father so proud.

Higher Consciousness takes the funk route, choppy rhythms and rubbery guitars, all this while the brass section lift us in the air again a great groove is slowly built, a tremendous cohesion displayed in the playing, wonder who is taking the lead in the band, with no Fela or Allen behind, Seun should be proud of the enormous achievement he has forged with this record, musically speaking is impeccable, flawless, if this world was less in love with disposable pop, Seun should be able to achieve legendary status like his father, Bob Marley or someone like Chuck D, people with a foot in music and the other one in powerful politics, as Seun goes in a direct brutal assault on the governments and banks who have turned the planet in a really hard place to live.

Ohun Aye is kind of a more festive tune, it kind of detours from Seun initial fiery attack, but hey! This is African music, and at certain moment the joy of that great place must materialize, not exactly my kind of tune, but charming without a doubt, but the viscous attack returns on the destined to be a classic, Kalakuta Boy, with all the right elements applied with character at the precise moment.

Seun voice takes prominent protagonist in African Smoke while a burning brass section backs him up furiously, all of a sudden, the powerful rhythm section appears and makes hard beats for Seun to build along with the women`s chorus powerful African chanting of revolution, while sax gives us a breath and makes our minds spin in endless circles thru the jungle, this is Kuti family amazing trademark recipe of African music, politics, fury, brass and the titanic voice of Seun, the revolutionary spirit of Fela gets invoked and the earth shakes at the great afro beat.  

This amazing records ends with the input of the great Nneka on Black Woman, a powerful vocalist who could put the great Erykah Badu to shame anytime she wanted, this time the sum of Nneka and Seun make up a delicious high life tune that cuts a little the combative spirit of the record, but one that touches our spirit and makes peace between the sometimes macho spirit of Fela, with a world more even for women and men, Seun declares peace and modernizes Africa’s vision toward equality, this time is not only the Africa men who fight for the future, this time is the sum of men and women form this land who will fight to their last drop of blood for a better world and for the respect deserved for the motherland of this world.