The
meanings behind the idomatic English of Nigerian Afrobeat
poet Ikwunga may be sometimes puzzling, even with the
provided lyrics. But the spirit of the griot clearly shines
through
as he delivers the lines with authority atop a writhing
bed of polyrhythms and horns provided by Toronto group
Mr. Something Something.
The
song "Di Bombs" may be familiar from
the compilation ASAP
/ Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project -- it's a
danceable rant against the importation of weaponry and
the overseas greed that drives conflict in Africa. My
only complaint is that
the
album is too short; just five tracks (under 45 minutes)
plus three shortened radio remixes. That and the lack
of song notes, without which the
listener might not grasp, for example, that "DNDABP" is
calling for dialogue to resolve the crises in the oil-rich
Niger Delta. But
don't minor flaws keep you from this powerful burst
of
social
critique,
particularly if you're already an Afrobeat fan. Ikwunga's
unique poetic
Afrobeat is a winner.
©2008
Scott Allan Stevens, Earball Media
|
Dengue
Fever: Venus On Earth (M80)
buy CD/hear samples
Three
years after their deliciously different debut Escape
from Dragon House, California-based Khmer-rock
outfit Dengue Fever returns with more of their trademark
Cambodian-flavored
retropop. The concept still sounds like some critic's parody
of an absurd world-fusion band, but as I discovered a couple
years ago at Bumbershoot, these guys can rock a crowd,
even if they're singing in a language shared by
less than three percent of the globe's population.
On
the new album, whether for poetic reasons or simply to
make
the music more widely accessible, you'll find several
tracks in English, including the trans-oceanic love song "Tiger
Phone Card" and the designated-driver blues "Sober Driver."
Then there's the bilingual emotional-dripping "Tooth and
Nail," which sounds like a Bollywood ballad that got lost
and wandered across several borders unchallenged. Or
maybe it's the soundtrack to a spy movie set on the beaches
of
SE
Asia. It's that uncategorizable. And that fun.
MC
Rai: Raivolution (Embarka)
www.mcrai.com If
you see the "rai" label and automatically retreat from
what you expect to be yet more cheesy, emotion-dripping
Algerian pop, you owe this album a second look. And a thorough
listen. MC Rai was born in southern Tunesia, and while
he was raised on the traditional folk music called Chaabi,
somewhere along the way he picked up a lot of other musical
influences,
combining Rai, rock, rap, and electronica. He also picked
up his things and moved to San Francisco in 2000, laying
the foundation for this album as he brushed up elbows with
artists including Cheb i Sabbah and Michael Franti.
The
songs are largely hard-driving, beat-laden affairs, suitable
for dancing without the thumpy monotony often associated
with club music. For that, credit the arrangements that
include plenty of lush strings, along with bits of kora,
trumpet, accordion, oud, and various traditional north
African instruments. I initially pegged this album as too
much, too loud. But I'm giving it a second listen, and
digging it immensely. MC Rai offers you a glimpse of North
Africa's musical future, if you're willing to look.
©2008
Scott Allan Stevens, Earball Media |
