Is it too early to have a favorite cd of 2010
? I know almost nothing about Fela Kuti and his music, having only been exposed to it in the last few years by way of hip-hop artists that have sampled his work, but I have a great deal of esteem for this wonderful album compiling other peoples' covers of Fela's hits.Egon, the funk historian emeritus and leading force behind Now-Again Records has searched far and wide for these recordings from the 70s, with three new tracks. Represented on this disk are other Nigerian bands that covered Kuti's work, as well as Caribbean groups, and the North Americans who have led the revival in afro-funk. Egon has written a highly-detailed essay outlining the history of the different covers, when and where it is known. The disk comes with a small booklet bound into the cardboard cover, and the whole package is a classy, sophisticated affair.
It is the music that makes this thing great though. The pieces here are all very funky, but they vary in their delivery and style. There are three different versions of the title track, and I would be hard pressed to name a favorite. I find this entire disk to be uplifting and incredibly beautiful.
No comments:
Post a Comment