I will love to start by saying a huge thank you to Elikeh’s PR agency for sending a copy of Elikeh’s newest CD, “between two worlds” to be reviewed. Yeah!!

I remember taking out my copy of the CD from the envelope it came in and the cover showed a man’s face encased in several circles with the words between 2 worlds in bold at the bottom. Are these circles a symbol of the world? I really do not know. At first glance, my expectation was that this CD will reflect the ambiguity that many Africans feel in the diaspora. You know living in the in between spaces, being part of but not really part of. But, rather this CD showcased the symbiotic relationship between cultures. A merging. A fusion. Interesting rendering of new sounds. This CD showcases sounds from different genres like Afrobeat, Afrosounds, Afropop, Funk and Reggae to a lesser extent. Unlike a lot of newer artists from diaspora who choose to only sing in English, Elikeh merges English to his traditional language. Quite beautiful. On the issue of languages, many of the songs on this CD have strong lyrical content. Well, the songs I could understand which were in English.

These CD has ten (10) songs. It starts off on a little reggae note in the song no vision which is in English and he was talking about visionless leadership and he ends the CD on an Afropop African note with a song in one of his native languages called Nye Dji. There were many songs that I really enjoyed on this CD. These are the four songs, that I felt were really the best: OlesAfrica, Foot Soldier, Eh Wee and Let them talk. It is always wonderful to actually listen to CDs from artists that you’ve interviewed, met or had a conversation with. Putting a CD together is no easy walk in the park. It is financially and creatively exhausting. We have to give a round of applause to any artist who is able to finish his or her project and put it out in the world to be critiqued, loved or hated. More grease to your elbow.

Elikeh is based in the United States. Interview done with Elikeh: Interview They will be in NY performing on July 28 at Joe’s pub in NY.

www.elikeh.net