Son of Afrobeat titan boldly assumes the mantle?
With the possible exception of Bob Marley, no figure in so-called “world music” looms quite as large as Fela Kuti. With an incendiary and confrontational approach to the ills of then-contemporary Nigerian politics and a frenzied rhythmic urge that closed the circle between James Brown and more traditional African forms, Kuti was a galvanizing social force above and beyond his sonic impact. Rather than flee this inevitable shadow or shake the implications of his name a decade after his father’s death, son Seun has instead chosen to lead his father’s classic band, confidently claiming the legacy. The sinuous groove of “Many Things” and the political venom of “Don’t Give That Shit to Me” show that there is something in the blood, while “Mosquito Song” candidly confronts the scourge of malaria with knowing empathy. Providing a rekindled voice for the often voiceless, Seun’s courage is gripping, and a fitting tribute to his father.