Who Is this America?

ANTIBALAS – “Who Is This America?”
Ropeadope, 2004

Hard-core disciples of Fela Kuti, the Brooklyn-based Antibalas ensemble continues to bring Afrobeat to America like no other outfit. What makes this group worthwhile is not their near-perfect cloning of Fela’s sound (updated just a tiny bit), but their success at writing new songs in his style: hard-hitting, politically insightful, rock-solid grooves for a huge band (14 core members + 10 guests) that, like Fela’s records, mean something today but will still sound good years from now. That is what transforms Antibalas from lame imitators to true carriers of the torch. Play this. Play this now.

All good. Fo’s Picks: 1, 3, 4, 7

1. 11:59 – upbeat, rolls like a train: on immigration, power, and identity
2. 8:23 – instrumental: dubby intro, then medium groove, horn solos
3. 5:38 – heavy groove, trombone solo, “indictment” of Bush et al.
4. 7:55 – uptempo funky: on corporations, labor, and consumerism
5. 1:39 – Afro-Latin drum circle & happy Yoruba chant
6. 14:03 – midtempo, spacey midsection. Lyric based on Yoruba chant
7. 19:14 – relaxed tempo, pro-feminist manifesto / apology to women

[ Fo ] – 7/19/2004