[rating=8.00]
It’s perhaps no coincidence that both Seun and Femi Kuti – the sons of Nigerian Afrobeat legend and pioneer Fela Kuti – have both released new albums a week apart in the wake of the raging success and subsequent high-profile discourse surrounding Marvel’s Black Panther. It’s a film that brought the grievances toward colonialism, corruption and changing African identity that Fela Kuti and his sons have long fought for through their music into the momentous sphere of pop-culture; raising to grand new heights the platform for positive change for the rights of Africans that musicians such as Kuti have been building for years. Black Times, the latest from Seun Kuti and his band Egypt 80, speaks of African revolution and the advancement of the continent but holds all the righteous anger of Marvel’s hero and none of the hate and violence of its villain.
Seun Kuti’s revolution is one of love, education and opportunity. Armed sometimes with his trusty sax, others with his distinctive growl; he rolls out pronunciations of black freedom and liberty over the complex beats and energetic big-band stylings of his backing band. His words range from the direct political criticisms of ‘Corporate Public Control Department’ as he sings “you promise jobs and you close the factory, but there’s always work in the penitentiary” to the social commentary of ‘African Dreams’ where he laments too many young African youths “chasing the American dream”.
But it’s all infused with the essence of his “to be free, you and me, you’ll never see the last revolutionary” celebrations of African life and togetherness that kick the record off. This is Afrobeat as it should be, but there are no surprises there. Formerly led by Seun father Fela, Egypt 80 have an equally crucial role in the pioneering of Afrobeat, with Seun having played with them since he was a child. Combining traditional African rhythms and chanted vocal harmonies with the jazz and blues of New Orleans, the sound is incredibly tight and infectious, a sense of festival enveloping the revolution Kuti sings of.
Indeed if there can be any criticism of Black Times it’s that it suffers from being a studio record. Afrobeat is designed for and is at its finest when on stage where this infectious energy and celebration can be truly experienced and participated in. With the shortest track at six minutes, these are jams to become lost and revel in, more of an involvement than a performance. While these are no doubt designed to be played live, some of this is lost in the recorded format. That said, there is plenty to like here. Carlos Santana is an inspired addition on highlight ‘Black Times’, a glorious celebration of modern black culture as Kuti sings praises of the strength of the African people in a rising call and response with his backing choir. The African influence is never felt more than on closer ‘Theory of Goat and Yam’, full of breakneck congas and spirited lines that flow like treacle.
It’s an exhilarating thing, experiencing Afrobeat in full swing. The pedigree of Seun Kuti and Egypt 80 make them the benchmark with which the genre and its myriad offshoots are measured and – as if it was ever in doubt – they deliver again here. In a way, attempts to receive an album like Black Times critically feels futile or unnecessary. This is inclusive music entirely designed to be shared and enjoyed with its creators, not appraised. As with Black Panther and the work of his brother, it’s a message Seun Kuti centers around; that we are stronger in our togetherness than our divisions and him and Egypt 80 have created a record that rejects those who would perpetuate those divisions and calls for a celebration of unity.
