by Seun Kuti
A Long Way To The Beginning is the third album by Seun Kuti & Egypt 80. Seun, son of Afrobeat legend Fela, took over the band after his father’s death in 1997 and has carried on his work in the truest fashion. However, this album does have an obvious injection of funk, in part due to the influence of jazz pianist Robert Glasper on keyboards. It’s a fairly short for an Afrobeat album, and is uplifting from start to finish. It feels like the powerful beats are strongly driven by the subject matter, injustice in his native Nigeria, which comes through in songs such as IMF and Higher Consciousness. The playing is certainly harder and faster than on the previous album From Africa with Fury.
The track to listen out for is Black Woman which his beautifully languid and easy to listen to. Interestingly, this is also the track that stays most true to the funky yet melodic narratives that Fela Kuti was so well known for. A Long Way To The Beginning is a fabulous addition to any music collection.
by Cat - The Breakfast Spread
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