Songs Of Icon

LEKAN BABALOLA – “Songs of Icon”
Mr. Bongo, 2006

NIGERIA/U.K. – Jazz, Afrobeat and Yoruban spirituality merge in this fantastic, varied release, with percussionist Babalola laying down thick carpets of rhythm. He’s been active for nearly 30 years, working with everyone from Roy Ayers to Fela to Spike Lee. Unfortunately, the rest of the band is uncredited. The first (white) disc is basically a modern-jazz record with an African twist, and the second (black) is remixes. The remixes are fine I guess, but I’ll stick with those killer originals…

Fo’s Picks: Disc I – 1, 3, 4, 5, 7 / Disc II – 4, 5

DISC ONE (Originals)

1. 05:37 – soulful afrobeat with funky horns, jazz guitar, layers of percussion
2. 05:48 – nice African/Latin jazz, but the last minute is full of glitches! Arg!
3. 04:08 – happy time! Perky horns, active drums, and everybody sings!
4. 03:55 – infectious afrobeat stomp built on a simple theme; too short!
5. 09:02 – Pretty Yoruban chant, group voc and soothing, undulating rhythms
6. 05:58 – relaxed afrocentric jazz switches to a dark, insistent beat
7. 06:23 – late night jazz-club sound with some echo, rich bass, fine solos
8. 11:09 – solo bass first & last 3 minutes, chugging hipster jazz in between

DISC TWO (Remixes)

1. 8:18 – layered samples over chugging beat, male vox, rock guitar break
2. 8:20 – skittery beat; call/response vox, some shouts, beeps. Way too long.
3. 8:20 – vocal snippets weave through stripped-down synth-tone patchwork
4. 5:59 – upbeat, lightly funky; keeps much of the original, adds English vox
5. 7:34 – guitar/bongo intro; solid upbeat groove with a generally sunny feel
6. 6:53 – stomping beat, little vocal snippets, synth riffs; then rolls along nicely
7. 6:20 – basic beat + electric bass, English vox; little of the original remains
8. 3:08 – the beats & some accents from #2 above
9. 5:24 – another version of #5 above, starts more spare, then blossoms

[ Fo ] 3/3/07