Time for a bit of Afro Jazz with Fela Kuti. This album, picked up for a steal in a charity shop, is Fela's response to Nigerian soldiers' attack on his commune, which resulted in his mother's death.
The title track, Zombie, rolls along with an infectious African beat and some fantastic horns before Fela's political lyrics kick in, and it's an exciting Afrojazz sound, which makes for very easy listening.
Mr Follow Follow rocks along in a more mellow, tuneful way, Fela making his point and the whole thing flowing by. These two songs, running at just under half an hour made up the original 1977 album, but the CD release contains two additional tracks Firstly, Observation Is Not A Crime, another piece of easy-to-listen-to Afrobeat which frankly, doesn't sound too much of departure from what's gone before - five minutes of horns, five minutes of Fela, then the run out, followed by Mistake recorded live in Berlin, sticking to the same formula.
And that's my issue with the Fela Kuti sound - it's a great listen, but so much sounds so similar to these ears.
3* - easy Afrobeat / jazz sounds, which at times sound a little formulaic. But never a chore to listen to!
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