| Throughout the last century we have been privy to a rich landscape of music and throughout that last century we have had several kings of music. There was Michael Jackson, “The King of Pop”, who solidified a career with solid pop sensibilities and R&B crooning. There was “The King”, Elvis Presley, who with a swivel of his hips, strum of his guitar and the twang-silk of his voice merged early rock ‘n’ roll with country roots. There are several kings of country music—George Strait, Garth Brooks, Roy Acuff - all of which have brought their own twist to the whiskey swilling, back rooms of bars with their unique story-telling and down-home guitar chords. But amongst all this popular music, there are genres and artists that do not get recognized for the great talent that they are. It is not because they are lesser in any capacity; their audiences are just more specialized and particularly more dedicated. The king of Juju music, King Sunny Ade, falls under this latter category.
Ade has the adoration of world music lovers, the respect of a former U.S. president and the admiration of a big jam bandleader. Ade and his band, The African Beats, have forged a solid reputation for their brand of Juju music—a mixture of African and Nigerian musical influences highlighted by the use of the lya llu or “talking drum”. Juju music could probably be best summed up as music with an urgent sense of warmth. It’s bright and colorful, groovy with a steady ethereal quality. It’s earthy, but most of all, it makes sense—regardless of language barriers. Ten years have gone by since Ade last made an album, Seven Degrees North, and, it can effectively be said that the King is back.
“Bábá Mo Túndé,” while not a traditional 12 to 14 track album, does come in at a lengthy 112 minutes. It’s not often that you come across albums that contain more than one song that clocks in at ten plus minutes. Ade crafted songs that for the most part ra nge between 10 and 18 minutes. Too long? At first glance, yes, but upon first listening not long enough. Songs like “Baba L'oun S'ohun Gbogbo” grab and mesmerize you. It’s the kind of song that makes you lose track of time and space, it ends so quickly—but in reality it’s been 12 minutes. It has an effervescence and verve that spreads quickly, but has a long life. It’s a skill that Ade and the African Beats have mastered. They make you that all is right, they make you feel good, they make you feel happy 10 minutes at a time. And even the shorter songs establish that carefree feeling.
“Emi Won N'ile Yi O (Sa Jo MaL'owo L'owo)” doesn’t crack that minute mark, so by contrast it feels infinitely short with the rest of the songs. This song, however, has the potential to be the best song on the album. It has a contradictory element in it. It is mellow and laidback, but still has that rushing sense of joy. It doesn’t swell with quick rhythms; it churns with complexity that is very easy to understand. It moves you, but not excitedly. It is another skill that Ade has developed over a lifetime and over a dozen of albums and probably hundreds if not thousands of performances.
It has been 10 years since Ade last released an album. He has not lost a step, and he may have even learned a new trick or two. And while other artists can lay claim to being king of their genre with some debate, Ade proves again that he is the king and that he is back. |
10/08/10 >> 
