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CD Review
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Knoxville News-Sentinel, CD Review >>
D.C. labor organizer and bass player Robert Fox aimed high when he decided to assemble an American act to pay homage to the late Nigerian Afrobeat founder Fela Kuti. The result, Chopteeth, may rankle Afrobeat purists, but given the all-inclusive nature of the sound and theme of Afrobeat music, no one should really be a "purist" for such a genre in the first place.
Chopteeth features a lively bunch of musicians rolling through a spirited set on its self-titled debut, which opens with a little bass riff before the mad percussion takes over.
Extensive horn and rhythm sections infuse the music with healthy and upbeat energy, even when guitarist/singer Michael Shereikis is pushing against dark forces on such cuts as "Struggle" and "Weigh Your Blessings."
Other charismatic notes, which often don't follow the Afrobeat model, include guest singer/instrumentalist Cheick Hamala Diabate on the surreal "initiation" song "Wili Nineh," the raunchy horns and smoky rhythms of "Herky Jerk" and the inviting Swahili vocals on an "Upendo" built on harmonic convergence of instrumentation rather than the contrasts that add tension to other cuts.
Listeners are apt to wish some of these tracks had been wrapped up sooner - eight of the 10 cuts extend beyond a 5-minute breaking point of tedium - but such is the way of most jam-oriented music. Plus Chopteeth staves off monotony by switching out focus, swinging from heavy-funk bass to call-and-response vocals to horn solos.
If Fox and company had adhered to rigid boundaries for their sound, chances are "Chopteeth" would have been a repetitious affair. But by taking liberties, the band generated something more invigorating.
Rating: 3- 1/2 12/30/08 >> go there
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