RSSFemi Kuti [extended]
- Shoki Shoki [MCA, 2000]
- Africa for Africa [Knitting Factory, 2011] *
- No Place for My Dream [Knitting Factory, 2013] ***
- Legacy + [Partisan, 2021] B+
See Also:
Consumer Guide Reviews:
Shoki Shoki [MCA, 2000]
Africa for Africa [Knitting Factory, 2011]
Still too entitled, still too grand, at long last a little smarter ("Obasanjo Don Play Yoy Wayo," "Politics in Africa") *
No Place for My Dream [Knitting Factory, 2013]
Lyrics sharper, angrier, stronger, band and especially voice less so ("Carry On Pushing On," "No Work No Job No Money") ***
Femi Kuti & Made Kuti: Legacy + [Partisan, 2021]
Maybe Fela's number one son, who turns 60 in June, has finally grown into his lighter voice. Or maybe I have. Either way it's clear that he's put his father's far from inimitable, utterly unduplicatable Afrobeat groove behind him--this music is less about headstrong, headlong propulsion, more about contemplative depth, about cushiony texture with a good sense of rhythm. And not only does Femi have his own band sound, he has his own son Made to back him up, albeit less pointedly. From the opening track of this double-CD, he's all militantly reasonable demands and talking points: "When government waste our time/Government waste our life, brothers and sisters." "Make them give us good healthcare/Make them give us clean water to drink." "Stop the land grab." "You can't fight corruption with corruption." I'm betting, however, that whether father and son needed to go on for two discs is more a function of filial relations than of historical necessity. B+