London-based Afro-Latin house combo Awa Band travel to Lagos for a storming homage to the ‘70s Lagos Sound and its multiplicity of compulsively funky genres: Highlife, Afro-Funk, Afro-Psychedelia, and, not least, perhaps the most rhythmically gigantic music of all time, Afrobeat.

Ahead of the resulting album, Story of my Land, this two-track taster features exquisite earthy-ethereal vocals from Yoruba soul diva Kayefi and contributions from some of the original creators of the iconic ‘70s Lagos sound. The package is dedicated to the memory of one of the greatest of them all, the late, great Africa ’70 drummer Tony Allen, one of the true pioneers of Afrobeat.

Formed in 2001 by producer and songwriter Kayode Samuel with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Barbara Snow, Awa Band enjoyed early success with their club classics "Together We Can Learn" and “Tudo Lindo”, working with iconic house producers Michael Gray, and Jon Pearn, plus the super-rousing “Timba”, recently covered by DJ Monki of “Yurican Soul” fame. 2010’s compulsive stomper “Baba Batteur” featured drums from the master Tony Allen himself, who Samuel managed for seven years.

These tracks are the fruit of Samuel’s previous production experience working on Allen’s classic “Lagos No Shaking” and Damon Albarn’s “The Good, the Bad and the Queen” project, which led to a determination to work with the veteran and current greats of Nigerian music. Recording took place with some of Nigeria’s finest multi-instrumentalists, against a backdrop of the global Covid Pandemic and widespread unrest in Nigeria, with the Endsars protests against police brutality leading to riots, looting, and mass destruction of property. All of which made the Awa Band even more determined to give vent to the pure joy of their music.

Both tracks here are popular Yoruba folkloric songs that evoke moonlit story-telling sessions, with Kayefi’s stirring vocals suffused with the rhythms and intonations of Ijala hunters’ chants. The driving Alu Jon Jon, which narrates the animal's story of survival, is Awa Band’s take on a song performed in the Seventies by the great Fela Kuti. Horn arrangements here are by Biodun Batik, a member of Fela’s Egypt 80 and one of Nigeria’s best trumpeters.

Kilode/Awade with its hurtling organ-powered groove and call-and-response vocals encompasses the Afro-funk style, The horns, recorded in London with Clare Hirst baritone/tenor sax, Richard Sutton tenor sax, and Barbara Snow trumpet, add a blistering Afro-Latin touch.

So there you have it: two sides of sizzling modern pop Lagos-meets-London style, which sound a note of joyful hope in these troubled times – and provide a great foretaste of what promises to be a truly inspirational album.



Mark Hudsonchief Art Critics Daily Telegraphy